The City of Hamilton resumed work at the Barton and Tiffany lands on Tuesday.
However, by the time TPR arrived on site, the work had paused. An unmarked government vehicle was on site.
The City plans to build a 40-unit tiny “low-barrier” emergency shelter on the lands, hoping to open it before Christmas Day.
The City started installing fencing around the site on November 19. The same day, Ontario’s Ministry of Labour issued a stop-work order against the City for violations of the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
“The challenge here was we had both a security contractor as well as the fencing contractor on site,” said Cynthia Graham, the City’s Director of Environment Services during a press conference on Monday.
“When the Ministry of Labour showed up, their interpretation was that there were multiple contractors and, therefore, the city was the constructor. It wasn’t our intention to be the constructor. So we stopped work and were re-evaluating and putting into place the proper contractor that can take over that role.”
Outstanding Order for Site Condition Information
One of the Ministry orders remains outstanding.
The City must provide a list of designated contaminants on the site.
The City must confirm if any of the following substances are present on the site: acrylonitrile, arsenic, asbestos, benzene, coke oven emissions, ethylene oxide, isocyanates, lead, mercury, silica and vinyl chloride.
City Continues Work: Electrical Contractor on Perimeter of Site
The City’s electrical contractor was working on the site’s perimeter today.
The new shelters and ancillary buildings will require the installation of electrical services.
Ark Tech Electrical Contractors were working today at the intersection of Barton Street West and Caroline Street North.
It is unclear what the nature of the work is and if there is a distinction in Ministry regulations for work done on the City roadway allowance compared to work done on the Barton/Tiffany site property.
Unmarked Government Vehicle on Site. Work Paused
Neighbours notified various parties about work resuming on-site – including the Ministry of Labour. [This is how TPR learned work had resumed]
When TPR arrived work on the site was paused.
An unmarked government enforcement vehicle was at the site. Seated in the car was a person in a jacket similar to that of a Province of Ontario official. They were writing in a standard-issue inspector’s notepad.
The City of Hamilton and the Ministry of Labour did not provide comment.
Production Details v. 1.0.0 Published: November 26, 2024 Last updated: November 26, 2024 Author: Joey Coleman Update Record v. 1.0.0 original version