Media Release: City of Hamilton joins Bloomberg Harvard City Program to transform planning approvals and build homes faster

City of Hamilton joins Bloomberg Harvard City Program to transform planning approvals and build homes faster

HAMILTON, ON – The City of Hamilton’s participation in the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative – Innovation Track Program has already shown great progress, building on City Council’s commitment to support the construction of 47,000 housing units by 2031 helping to combat housing and homelessness within the City.

The program helps municipalities address complex challenges and improve residents’ quality of life through innovative, data driven approaches. The outcome of addressing these challenges positively impacts housing affordability and availability for residents.

“As Mayor, I was proud to initiate the City of Hamilton collaboration with Bloomberg Harvard, which is already delivering real, measurable results for our city,” said Mayor Andrea Horwath. “Since taking office, I've listened to concerns that have made it clear; improving the development approval process was crucial for housing and for our economy. Building more housing faster - and of all types - will help address the housing crisis, as we strive to ensure Hamiltonians have a safe place to call home.

By engaging the development and construction community, and empowering staff to bring forward ideas for positive change, we seized a unique opportunity for innovation and transformation. Through the modernization of our planning approvals process, we are removing barriers and creating a more responsive and transparent system that works for development in all sectors, as well as for staff.”

Since joining the Innovation Track Program in late 2023, the City has been equipped with the tools, knowledge, and resources, which have led to improvements in efficiency, transparency, and overall governance. Two pilot projects - First Wave Portal Pilot and All4One Pilot – have since been initiated to streamline and enhance planning and development application reviews through collaboration.

First Wave Portal Pilot

Through the pilot, staff are testing artificial technology to enhance data-driven development and planning

With Clr. Cameron Kroetsch

Enjoy our chat with Ward 2 Clr. Cameron Kroetsch. Thank-you Cameron for engaging with Hamiltonians in The Hamiltonian!

1. Since your election to the council, you've demonstrated a distinctive approach to representing your constituents and enacting change. Could you share what you believe sets your approach apart from others, and how it has served both you and your community over time?

I've always believed elected officials should follow up on the priorities they advanced when they were running for office. I put forward a detailed platform when I ran that I shared with all Ward 2 residents. Since being elected, I've updated residents on the progress I've made. I've done this because I care deeply about keeping my word and engaging with the Ward 2 community on issues big and small. It's why I've held over 60 community meetings during this term, with more planned. It's important to me to listen to residents, to update them on what's happening at City Hall, to talk about what I do using plain and accessible language, and to answer questions so I can be held accountable. Perhaps the most common piece of feedback I receive from people I engage with is thanking me for being so transparent. Of course, there are those who criticize my approach, but I think I'm working hard to honour my commitments and focus on what I can achieve in my role as a Councillor during this term.

2. In March 2024, you were temporarily suspended by the Ontario Civilian Police Commission (OCPC) to investigate a complaint alleging a violation of its code of conduct. You've voiced concerns about the duration of this process and its silencing effect. Given that additional allegations arose following your public comments, do you accept that the broadening of these complaints may have contributed to delays? How do you view your role in the ongoing delay, and can you provide any evidence to support your perspective on whether this matter is being intentionally prolonged?

While I believe it was unfortunate for the complaint to be filed in the first place, it's just as unfortunate it has taken over a year for the OCPC to investigate the complaint. I'm still awaiting a ruling. As a publicly elected official, I feel it's essential for transparency and accountability to be demonstrated in everything I do as a member of Council, and that includes my appointment as a member of the police board. I believe our institutions must be both transparent and accountable to the public they serve. I think accountability can make some people feel uncomfortable, but I don't think that's a reason to file complaints. As to the length of time it's taken for the OCPC to issue its ruling, I'll leave it to the public to decide whether or not it's reasonable for the Province to spend more than a year investigating a complaint over comments I made in public. I look forward to returning to my work on the police board as soon as possible.

3. Social media can be an incredibly powerful tool for outreach, but it can also pose risks. Your critical comments regarding the Police Services Board’s budget process in 2023 were a significant factor in the complaint filed against you. In hindsight, do you view your use of social media in this instance as effective, problematic, or a bit of both? Have you gained any insights into the consequences of such actions, and do you stand by your decision to use social media in this way?

I believe in using all tools available to communicate openly and transparently with the public. Social media is one of those tools. It's immediate, accessible, and it can be effective if used well. In most cases, things I've posted on social media have been things I've already said in public and on camera at public meetings. Social media can be used to share information with people who may not have been able to watch those meetings. I'm comfortable using it, as I did for years before becoming a Councillor. While I understand that the openness and immediacy social media provides can be difficult for some to embrace, it's not going away. It can be a very democratic tool. I plan to keep using it to help me communicate with Ward 2 residents and Hamiltonians across the city.

4. Your tenure as President of Guelph’s largest labor union is an important part of your background. In what ways has that experience shaped your perspective and approach as a city councillor, particularly when it comes to advocating for working families and community interests?

Unionism is, by its very nature, based on working together to achieve a common good. It can be messy. It can be challenging. But it can also be hugely rewarding when important progress is made on behalf of a group of members trying reach a collective goal. I see being a Councillor in a very similar light - working together with the community to improve our city and, in my case, downtown Hamilton. Through messiness and challenges come important progress. The issues we face as a city are bigger, and sometimes more complex, but I think the foundational values I learned from my time in the union movement have served me well in this role and will continue to help me to work with the community to make Hamilton better no matter the challenges we face.

5. Many have pointed to a sense of unease surrounding the downtown area, particularly after dark, due to concerns about safety and crime. Why do you think Hamilton struggles to revitalize its downtown despite previous efforts? What innovative strategies or initiatives are currently being explored to improve the core

Media Release:The City of Hamilton Invites Residents to the Opening of Magnolia Hall

The City of Hamilton Invites Residents to the Opening of Magnolia Hall

HAMILTON, ON – After more than three decades, Magnolia Hall is opening as a cultural community hub in Hamilton.

Located in the heart of the Durand neighborhood, this historic building is a successful adapted reuse of an 1880’s gothic revival Anglican church. Combining the charm of its architectural heritage with modern amenities and barrier-free access, Magnolia Hall will be used for arts, culture and heritage activities and be a gathering place for the community. The grounds have been revitalized and will be cared for by the Durand Neighbourhood Association.

All residents and members of the media are invited to celebrate the opening of this historical structure and downtown landmark. The event is free and will have a formal ceremony followed by a performance from Hamilton’s Conservatory for the Arts students. Light refreshments will be served.
Event Details:

Date: Saturday, April 26, 2025

Time: 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Attendees: Mayor Andrea Horwath
Marnie Cluckie, City Manager
Cameron Kroetsch, Ward 2 Councillor
Roberta Harman, President of the Durand Neighbourhood Association


Location: Magnolia Hall (formerly St. Mark’s Church)

115 Hunter Street West, Hamilton, ON L8P 1R1

With Former Mayor, Larry DiIanni

Enjoy our chat with former Mayor, Larry DiIanni. Larry- thank-you for engaging with Hamiltonians in The Hamiltonian.

1. Hamilton’s vision statement remains, “The Best place to raise a child and age successfully.” Reflecting on the progress of the last decade, do you believe Hamilton is living up to its vision? In your assessment, where do you think the city has made notable strides, and where does it still fall short of meeting this aspiration?

Vision Statements are aspirational. They are also often grandiose in their expectations. I am always skeptical when anyone or thing or entity claims to be ‘best’ at anything. So I looked at that statement as a goal to be achieved rather than a destination. It is always ongoing and any organization should seek improvement from year to year.

In terms of raising children I would look at schools, employment for parents, medical services, recreational facilities, safe communities. Overall, Hamilton does well in all those categories in spite of some challenges.

As far as aging successfully, one might also look at these yardsticks: medical care, retirement facilities, activities for seniors, fair taxes, dignified retirement resources. Again, in the main, we are blessed as a community in spite of some challenges for some seniors.

2.Given the imposition of tariffs on Canada, particularly in sectors like steel manufacturing, how do you think Hamilton’s industries and businesses, including its steel sector, might be impacted? From a leadership perspective, what strategies can Hamilton adopt to help local industries, businesses, and consumers navigate these challenges and mitigate the negative effects of such tariffs?

Tariffs are a curse imposed by a crazed leader from the supposed leading economy in the world: USA. They will take a toll on our city because of its large footprint in steelmaking and related industries. A Mayor’s authority is limited but I think Hamilton is doing the right thing. The Mayor is apparently meeting with affected groups; she is liaising with the Province and the Federal authorities and is linking up with other mayors in Canada and the USA. I would hope that as the situation becomes clearer, if it ever does, our city would react appropriately and humanely.

3. Homelessness remains a pressing issue in Hamilton, with increasing attention on encampments and the recent discussion around MiniCabins as a potential solution. What, in your opinion, should Hamilton’s long-term strategy be for addressing homelessness? Do you feel that the current leadership at City Hall has a clear, effective plan in place, or do you believe the approach is more reactive and tactical/experimental at this stage?

I think that despite best efforts the city’s actions have not been in the best interests of the city in this regard. The encampment protocol was too permissive from the start which didn’t help the encampment residents and it certainly caused consternation and safety issues for the residents of the city and the businesses near these locations. 

The reported stories of fires, drug use, crimes, violence, in these areas, let alone the refuse accumulated made for some frustrating times. I do understand that there were some do-gooders, misguided even if well-intentioned, that challenged the city legally at every turn. But it shouldn’t have taken a judge to finally decide that the city was acting with compassion and care in trying to deal with the situation. The city should have acted sooner in my estimation.

Having said all this, it should be noted that the social safety net is important for people whose luck runs out or whose personal situations need assistance. There but for the grace of God go any of us. However, helping the marginalized should not hold a whole community hostage. And parts of our city were being disadvantaged. I don’t begrudge the tax dollars spent on the mini residences, but the city cannot do it alone and Hamilton has tried. The city spent more money than the other orders of Government. That isn’t fair to our residents. And what made it worse, the problems didn’t improve. That has to be the definition of

Op ED-Bail Out The Bay NOW - Government Must Save Jobs at HBC - By Robert Nelly

Bail Out The Bay NOW - Government Must Save Jobs at HBC - By Robert Nelly

The Bay department store chain, also known as HBC (Hudson's Bay Company), is nearly $1 billion in debt and those debts are getting called in by the creditors. As a result, Canada's oldest department store began liquidating 90 of its 96 stores last month, triggering widespread distress among its workforce and affiliated small businesses. As well, HBC will pay up to $3 million total in retention bonuses to 121 managers and executives — but will not pay severance to its more than 9,300 workers, most of whom will soon lose their jobs. Also at stake are pensions, health benefits and long-term disability supports, according to Andrew Hatnay, a lawyer representing employees. This affects a group of people that are "extremely vulnerable as they cannot work and are highly dependent on their long-term disability benefits for their livelihoods."

Hudson’s Bay filed for court protection on March 7 to shield itself from creditors while seeking financing. Unfortunately, the workers of HBC are only entitled to a maximum of $8,800 severance under the federal Wage Earner Protection Program Act, no matter if they worked there for 50 years of their life. That's a pittance. Furthermore, disabled employees that HBC had been supporting may also be cut off. In addition to employees, small businesses that operated inside Bay stores also face losses. As well, local businesses that supplied The Bay are also affected.

HBC has all but given up on saving the 90 stores that are closing, and is barely clinging on to hope that it can save the remaining 6 stores. As it stands, the courts will close the remaining stores by April 8th if nothing changes. Several of Hudson's Bay's senior secured lenders — Bank of America, Pathlight Capital and Restore Capital — are eager to take first dibs of their debt back.

Why do patriotic Canadians allow the Bank of America to shut down North America's oldest company? Why exactly is the Bank of America one of the lending partners leading the charge to bring down HBC? Are they being manipulated by The White House to destabilize our economy? Is the timing of the HBC shut down coincidental?

The City and the Cyber Attack

The City of Hamilton fell victim to a cyber attack that damaged many of our crucial systems. We decided to probe into the nature of the attack and what the city has done as a result. Here are our questions with Cyrus Tehrani, Chief Information Officer (interim), City of Hamilton 

1 It is our understanding that the city became aware of a cyberattack it fell victim to in February 2024. Could you describe the scope of this attack? Where were the greatest disruptions, and did the attack affect both computer and phone systems?

The City of Hamilton became aware on the evening of Sunday, February 25, 2024 that it was impacted by a cybersecurity incident that compromised many of our IT systems, including disruptions to our phone system. A dedicated team of City staff and external experts took swift action to investigate, protect our systems, and minimize the impact on the community and facilitate recovery. The City has confirmed that it was a ransomware attack.

2.While cybercrime is a grave and reprehensible issue, many Hamiltonians may be wondering why it has taken so long to fully restore the impacted systems. Were there adequate backup systems, imaging, redundancy, and other industry best practices in place to protect against such an attack? If these safeguards were in place, how did they fail? If not, what steps are being taken to strengthen the city’s systems moving forward? To clarify, we are not asking for specific details that could compromise the city’s security efforts, but rather, in a broader sense, what industry best practices or new measures are being introduced as a result of this breach?

The City has been taking a thoughtful and intentional approach to its response, focused on best meeting the needs of the community. Despite the incident, the City has continued to deliver its critical programs and services.

As the City continues to recover and build back better, it is identifying opportunities to improve and strengthen systems and infrastructure and protect against future cyber incidents. The City is moving forward with application replacement and received Council approval for both funding and staffing increases to continue to advance the City’s Cyber resiliency as part of building back better.

The City has cybersecurity measures in place, which are updated regularly. Unfortunately, cybersecurity incidents are becoming more common globally. While the City continues to strengthen the security of its IT systems to the ever-changing landscape of cybersecurity threats, no security measure will make a

With Clr. John-Paul Danko

Enjoy our chat with Councillor John-Paul Danko. Tthank-you John-Paul for engaging with Hamiltonians on The Hamiltonian!

1. What motivated your decision to run as the Liberal candidate for Hamilton West-Ancaster-Dundas, and why do you believe this is the right move for you at this stage in your career?

I am excited for the opportunity to leverage the experience I have gained in my years as a professional structural engineer and city councillor for Hamilton as an MP. I have a deep understanding of the issues, challenges and opportunities that our fantastic city faces. I know how transformational federal funding has been on so many files. I want to bring my deep understanding of our Ambitious City and its residents, combined with my municipal political experience to advocate for Hamilton’s interests on Parliament Hill.

2. Some critics, as seen in a recent letter to the editor in the Hamilton Spectator, have suggested that your decision to leave your City Councillor position could be seen as an opportunistic move. They argue that this allows you to explore the possibility of a new role while not permanently vacating your current position, should you not succeed in the election. Additionally, there are concerns about the potential costs of a by-election. How do you respond to these criticisms?

You can never guess when a federal election will be called. I felt that, given my professional and political

With Mayor Andrea Horwath

Mayor Andrea Horwath

Enjoy our interview with Mayor Andrea Horwath. The questions we posed to the Mayor are presented first, and,  as she elected to respond to the questions in narrative form rather than to each individual question, we have included her complete response.

Thank-you Mayor Horwath for engaging with Hamiltonians through The Hamiltonian! 

1. 1 Given Hamilton's deep-rooted history in steel production, the tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump poses a significant challenge to the local economy, particularly for those employed in the steel and related industries. What strategies has the City of Hamilton implemented to protect local workers and mitigate the economic impact of these tariffs?
   
   2 Homelessness remains a pressing issue in Hamilton, with encampments and modular housing prevalent. While some view encampments as a temporary necessity, others argue they fail to uphold human dignity and the right to safe, long-term housing. What is the city’s strategy in addressing homelessness, and how do you balance immediate relief efforts with sustainable housing solutions? How does human dignity factor into these considerations?
   
   3 The expanded powers granted to strong mayors have sparked significant debate. In your view, under what circumstances would you consider exercising these powers, and how do you see them impacting governance in Hamilton?
   
   4 Andrea Horwath is sometimes characterized as a fiery leader who is vocal and unyielding when advocating for her beliefs on how best to govern. This may be reminiscent of your time as leader of the NDP. Since becoming Hamilton’s Mayor, people may have noticed a more settled approach. Is this a fair observation and to the extent it is, do you recognize this change in style and what accounts for it?
   
   5 Gun violence and crime have been growing concerns in Hamilton. While increased police funding is often seen as a solution, some suggest it does not always correlate with crime reduction. Has the city established clear metrics or accountability measures with Hamilton Police Services to ensure that increased funding leads to tangible improvements in public safety?
   
   6 Hamilton has experienced firsthand the significant disruptions caused by cyberattacks. Recovery efforts following the attack on the city’s systems have been lengthy, with ongoing service delays cited as a result. What steps has Hamilton taken to strengthen its cybersecurity infrastructure, and why did the city’s technical systems not have sufficient backup capabilities to ensure a more rapid recovery?
   
   7 Looking back on your tenure as Mayor, what do you consider to be your most significant accomplishments so far? Conversely, what have been your greatest challenges, and how are you working to address them?