Update, July 16: The City is retaining both consultants to jointly operate the public engagement process.


Mayor Andrea Horwath’s Task Force on Transparency, Access, and Accountability hopes to hold stakeholder consultations this fall to hear from Hamiltonians.

They will meet on Tuesday, July 15, to choose a consulting firm to organize the consultation, compile what Hamiltonians have to say, and provide themes and recommendations for the Task Force. The consultants will also draft the final report to Council.

Two proposals are competing for the contract: one from Enterprise Canada and another from the Social Planning and Research Council of Hamilton.

Both proposals suggest the work will take six months.

The City has blacked out the amount of each bid, which is an odd choice because the City of Hamilton usually publishes competitive bid amounts.

During the 2022 election, Horwath promised to launch the Task Force within 90 days of being elected. Its co-chairs were appointed 322 days after the election, and the Task Force’s first meeting occurred on Day 429 of the Council term.

The meeting begins at 10:00 a.m. and will be livestreamed on Youtube. [Agenda link]

Task Force Member Recently Died

Bill Custers (pictured far right) posing for a group photo at the 2023 Mayor’s Levee where he received the Order of Hamilton award.

Bill Custers, a member of the Task Force who had been leading a lot of the work to arrange the upcoming consultation phase, died on June 30.

The co-chairs appoint members of the Task Force. They will have to decide if the seat remains vacant or if they will appoint a new member to the group.


Production Details
v. 1.1.0
Published: July 15, 2024
Last updated: July 15, 2024
Author: Joey Coleman
Update Record
v. 1.0.0 original version
v. 1.1.0 updated with information presented at the meeting