Why Hamilton Residents Should Pay Attention to the Province’s Conservation Authority Plan

A major change is coming to the way conservation lands and environmental protections are managed in Hamilton — and it is something residents may want to pay close attention to.

The Province of Ontario has announced plans to merge the Hamilton Conservation Authority with those in Niagara, Halton and the Credit Valley into a single regional body called the Western Lake Ontario Regional Conservation Authority. The consolidation is expected to be completed by 2027 as part of a broader plan to reduce Ontario’s 36 conservation authorities to nine.

At first glance, this may sound like administrative restructuring. But the change could have real consequences for how development, environmental protection and flood prevention decisions are made in Hamilton.

The province argues the current system creates inconsistent rules and slow approval timelines for builders and landowners. By creating larger regional authorities and introducing a digital permitting system, the government says it can standardize policies and help move housing and infrastructure projects forward more quickly.

Critics, however, worry that the emphasis on getting “shovels in the ground” may come at the expense of local environmental oversight.

Conservation authorities have historically played an important role in preventing development in flood-prone areas and protecting wetlands, forests and watershed systems. In Hamilton, the conservation authority manages roughly 4,700 hectares of land and oversees many of the natural spaces residents enjoy, from Dundas Valley to Spencer Gorge.

The concern among some environmental advocates is that larger regional authorities may weaken local decision-making or reduce scrutiny of development proposals that could affect sensitive lands.

Supporters of the plan say conservation lands will remain protected and programs will continue. But for Hamilton residents, the real question is whether decisions affecting local watersheds, conservation lands and flood safety will remain grounded in local knowledge.

As the province moves ahead with the plan, the outcome will shape how Hamilton balances growth, development and environmental protection for years to come. 

Media Release :City of Hamilton Launches New Online Customer Portal

City of Hamilton launches new online customer portal to make accessing City services easier. 

My.Hamilton provides Hamiltonians with a convenient and secure way to access City services, anytime, anywhere

HAMILTON, ON – The City of Hamilton is taking an important step forward to improving how residents access City services with the launch of my.hamilton.ca, a new online service hub designed to make it easier to submit service requests and track progress.

Now available, my.hamilton.ca provides residents with a single, secure place to access a growing number of City services online from any device – anytime, anywhere.

Through one secure account, customers can submit service requests and track progress.

“Improving customer service for Hamiltonians is a priority for me,” said Mayor Andrea Horwath. “The launch of my.hamilton.ca is an important step in modernizing how residents connect with City Hall – providing a convenient way to request services, track updates and access information anytime. This portal makes it simpler and faster for people to get the support they need. It’s another example of how we are improving technology and systems to deliver better service and become a more responsive City for our community.”

Residents will be able to access a number of services through my.hamilton.ca, some of which include:

Animal Donation Payments – make a donation to support programming.
Garbage and Recycling – schedule a bulk waste pickup, order extra trash tags, request an additional green bin and more.
Licensing and Parking – apply for an outdoor patio or parking permit or request the suspension of a parking restriction.
Safe Apartment By-law Registration – register your Apartment Building
Vacant Unit Tax – submit your annual declaration.
Access Ask a Question and Report a Problem - submit requests easily and conveniently.

The portal also includes links to many commonly used City services, making it even easier for residents to access them from one location. For example, users can pay parking tickets and provincial offences fines, engage in City projects, as well as search and register for recreation programming.

“Hamilton is removing barriers and making it easier for residents to connect with the City,” said City Manager Marnie Cluckie. “My.Hamilton provides secure, on-demand access to services from any device. Residents told us they want services that are easier to access and easier to track. This portal helps deliver that by providing one place to submit requests and receive updates, while continuing to offer phone and in-person support.”

My.Hamilton represents the first phase of a broader effort to improve how residents receive City services. Additional services and features will be added over time as the portal continues to evolve.

Residents can access the portal at my.hamilton.ca. More information and resources can be found on My.Hamilton Portal FAQs | City of Hamilton.

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

Media Release: City of Hamilton and Hamilton Waterfront Trust announce next phase of Hamilton waterfront transition

Protecting waterfront experiences residents value while strengthening long-term oversight

HAMILTON, ON – The City of Hamilton and Hamilton Waterfront Trust (HWT) will complete the planned transition of the HWT effective March 31, 2026, with all programming, services and assets transitioning fully to City of Hamilton operations beginning April 1, 2026, with no interruption to waterfront services.

Residents and visitors can expect the same waterfront programming and public access they enjoy today to continue under City management.

The Hamilton Waterfront Trust has played an important role in supporting projects and programming that expanded public access to the waterfront and contributed to the vibrancy of the city. As part of Council’s review of long-term governance and financial sustainability, the City determined that bringing waterfront operations fully under municipal management will strengthen oversight and ensure long-term stewardship of the waterfront.

“Hamilton’s waterfront is one of our city’s greatest shared assets - a place where residents gather, families spend time together, and visitors experience the best of our community,” said Mayor Andrea Horwath. "Bringing waterfront operations fully under city management strengthens the long-term stewardship of

The Horwath Factor and Vote Splitting

 At The Hamiltonian, we often times receive   information, tips and speculation from our readers.   Recently, an individual who we regard as influential   speculated that Andrea Horwath will not be running in  the Mayoral election.

We reached out the Mayor's office today to ask the question. The Mayor's office replied and confirmed that Ms. Horwath, as previously stated, is, in fact running. 

While the field may yet expand, a contest featuring incumbent Mayor Andrea Horwath, businessman and former Chamber of Commerce CEO Keanin Loomis, and Ward 15 Councillor Rob Cooper already suggests a three-way race that could present voters with sharply different visions for the city.

Horwath enters the race as the incumbent, and with that comes both advantages and vulnerabilities. Incumbency provides visibility, experience in governing, and the ability to point to accomplishments achieved during her term. It also allows her to present herself as a steady hand at a time when municipalities face pressures ranging from housing shortages to infrastructure demands and strained municipal finances.

At the same time, incumbency inevitably places a record under the microscope. Voters will evaluate the progress made on issues such as housing affordability, downtown revitalization, fiscal management, and the overall tone and effectiveness of council governance. Horwath’s campaign will likely emphasize stability and experience, while critics will attempt to frame the past term as insufficiently transformative.

Keanin Loomis enters the race with a different profile. In the previous mayoral election, Loomis proved to be a formidable challenger, capturing more than 46,000 votes and coming within striking distance of victory. That performance demonstrated that a large portion of the electorate was receptive to his message of managerial leadership and economic focus.

Loomis’ strength lies in presenting himself as an outsider to municipal politics but an insider to the business and economic development community. His campaign is expected to emphasize efficiency at City Hall, economic competitiveness, and a results-oriented approach to governance. However, the challenge Loomis faces this time is different from last election. He will now be running against an incumbent mayor rather than an open field, and voters who may have been willing to try something new may now weigh continuity against change.

Councillor Rob Cooper represents yet another lane in the emerging contest. As a sitting member of council, Cooper brings direct experience inside City Hall but positions himself as a reform-minded voice who believes the city must be run more like a multibillion-dollar enterprise. His message has consistently emphasized fiscal discipline, accountability, and structural change in how the city manages its resources. Cooper also speaks the language of measureables and performance expectations; language that our readers will know has often been used by The Hamiltonian. 

Cooper’s candidacy could appeal to voters who want change but are not necessarily drawn to an outsider candidate. However, his challenge may be differentiating himself clearly from both Horwath’s incumbency and Loomis’ business-oriented outsider narrative. In a three-way race, the ability to define a unique lane becomes critical.

The dynamics of such a contest could be particularly interesting. Horwath may focus on consolidating the progressive and institutional support that often accompanies incumbency. Loomis may aim to build a coalition of business leaders, moderates, and voters seeking managerial competence and economic momentum. Cooper may attempt to attract voters frustrated with both traditional politics and what they perceive as insufficient fiscal rigor at City Hall.

Another factor will be vote splitting. If Loomis and Cooper both appeal to voters seeking change in city leadership, their presence in the race could divide that vote, potentially benefiting the incumbent. On the other hand, if either challenger succeeds in consolidating the “change” vote, the race could tighten considerably. Perhaps there is a conversation to be had between Loomis and Cooper.

Campaign narratives will also matter. Issues such as property taxes, housing development, infrastructure spending, and the broader economic trajectory of Hamilton are likely to dominate debate. Voters will be listening carefully for who offers not only criticism of the status quo but credible solutions.

For now, the contours of the race are only beginning to emerge. But if the contest does indeed take shape as a three-way battle between Andrea Horwath, Keanin Loomis, and Rob Cooper, Hamilton voters may find themselves choosing between three distinct governing philosophies: the stability of incumbency, the promise of business-driven leadership, and a call for structural reform within City Hall.

One thing already seems certain — if these three names anchor the race, Hamilton’s next mayoral campaign is unlikely to lack for contrast.

Learning from history.....

Looking at the 2022 Hamilton mayoral election geographically helps explain why the race between

Horwath Declines Hamiltonian Interview

In keeping with our ongoing series of interviews with declared and prospective contenders for Mayor of Hamilton, and consistent with the discussions we have already published with Rob Cooper http://www.thehamiltonian.net/2026/03/with-mayoral-contender-rob-cooper.html and Keanin Loomis http://www.thehamiltonian.net/2026/03/with-mayoral-contender-keanin-loomis.html, The Hamiltonian has extended the same invitation to Mayor Andrea Horwath to participate in this series.

In the interest of fairness, balance, and neutrality, we reached out to Mayor Horwath to offer her the opportunity to respond to the same line of inquiry presented to other mayoral contenders. We posed the following questions:

1. Your first term has included navigating complex issues such as housing affordability, economic development, and labour disruptions. Which of these do you feel remains unfinished business that motivates you to consider another run? What issue do you believe you have made significant positive progress on?

2. Several potential challengers have begun positioning themselves as alternatives to the current leadership. For example, Mr. Loomis and Mr. Cooper. What would you say distinguishes your vision for Hamilton from those who may seek the office and what makes you the best choice?

3. Some critics argue that City Hall can still feel divided on key issues. How would you work in a second term to build stronger consensus among council members and the broader community?

4. What would success look like for Hamilton by the end of a second Andrea Horwath term? In other words, what changes would you hope residents would clearly see or feel in their daily lives

5. What would you say to Hamiltonians who are still undecided about whether the city needs continuity in leadership or a new direction? 

The Mayor declined the opportunity to answer these questions, giving no reason. 

The Hamiltonian will continue to provide fair and even coverage as things proceed and we will continue to reach out to the Mayor at the appropriate times.