Good morning!
A quick daybook today.
City Council’s Selection Committee will meet at 9:30 a.m. and Council’s Public Works Committee will meet at 1:30 p.m.
On the Public Works agenda is a consultant’s report that’s officially regarding non-road widening measures to address traffic challenges on the Lincoln Alexander Parkway. Unofficially, the debate will be about road widening. More below.
There are no Ontario Land Tribunal Hearings today.
City Hall Meetings
Selection Committee
Councillors will meet in closed session to discuss a citizen-appointee vacancy on the CityHousing Hamilton Board. The agenda includes a second closed session item, “Screening Tools for the Selection Committee for Agencies, Boards and Sub-Committees.”
Public Works Committee (1:30 p.m. Council Chambers)
The meeting will be livestreamed on YouTube.
I’ve published two stories in advance of this meeting.
Municipal Controlled Access Parkways:
Council will debate a consultant’s preliminary report on expanding the Red Hill Valley Parkway and Lincoln Alexander Parkway.
The short version: Adding a lane in each direction on the LINC will cost $81.5M and $56.2M on the RHVP. Issues with the Stewartship Board mean changes to Red Hill are off the table for now. The need to address the provincial interchanges at the 403 and QEW means more work is needed before Council can vote on an expansion plan.
In the short term, consultants recommend doing consultant on options to alleviate traffic pressures on the LINC.
More details here:
HSR Fare Assist
Three delegates are expected to again ask City Council to reverse changes at the HSR and permit anyone using a mobility bus to ride transit for free. The delegates are speaking to a staff report on the first year of the HSR’s fare assist program which has approved 5,889 people to receive a 30 percent discount on all trips.
Staff say the new program is successful.
More details here:
TPR Content Published Over the Weekend
Councillor Francis Versus Hwang on Ward 4 Parking Lot to Housing Plan
Ward 4 Councillor Tammy Hwang took to Instagram posting a seven-minute video explaining why she supports Hamilton’s affordable housing strategy, including leveraging municipal lands for housing.
The City is moving forward with a plan to rezone an under-utilized municipal parking lot at 70 Hope Avenue, near Kenilworth Avenue, to permit housing.
Many area residents and businesses are passionate on both sides of the issue.
Hwang’s video explained the process and project.
Councillor Matt Francis commented on the video saying Hwang did not support his opposition to the conversion of municipal parking lots in his ward, and suggested Hwang was not doing what Ward 4 voters want her to do.
Hwang responded to Francis, in part saying, ” I supported you in your decision to do it differently from the original process, as I believed that you understand your community best.”
More details, including the full exchanges, here:
The Fifth Consultants Report on the Farmers Market is Released
With a fifth consultant’s report in hand, Hamilton City Council is launching another round of discussion about the future of the Hamilton Farmers’ Market.
The Market has struggled in recent years due to a dysfunctional governance system, and a litany of other issues.
This report, again the fifth consultant report, does not shine any new light on the situation. Unfortunately, a lack of research is revealed in the report.
The Farmers Market Board of Directors is to debate this report next Monday.
More details here:
Neighbourhood Association Opposes 12-Storey Building at 1570 Main Street West
The Ainslie-Wood Community Association executive is collecting signatures on a petition to oppose the construction of a 12-storey rental building at 1570 Main Street West, approximately 600 metres west of the proposed McMaster University light rail transit station.
The petition states the neighbourhood prefers to have a low-rise three storey structure built stating 12-storeys will negatively impact the mental health of the neighbourhood because of shadowing, that construction of a mid-rise building will “undeniably disrupt daily life and potentially cause stress-related health issues,” that construction dust will harm community health, that digging the foundation raises concerns for the neighbours, and they believe property values will decrease.
The United Church of Canada’s development partner, Kindred Works, proposes to build 176 rental units with a ground-level cafe.
More details here:
City Managers Ignored Front-line Staff Warnings About Removing the US Flag from War Memorials
In a communication to Hamilton’s Veterans’ Committee, mid-level City of Hamilton staff stated that front-line city parks staff questioned orders from senior City Hall managers to remove the United States Flag from Dieppe Memorial Park.
Front-line parks staff did not immediately obey the direction to remove the American flag from the Dieppe War Memorial on Beach Boulevard. Instead, they cautioned management against the decision.
Senior managers told them that the order to remove American flags from all City of Hamilton properties, including war memorials, was to be completed immediately.
The flag was returned after sustained pressure by the Legion, RHLI association, and other veterans’ groups.
More details here:
COLUMN: The New Federal Election Boundaries Created “Safer” Seats for Hamilton Incumbents
I dive into the four noteworthy changes to Hamilton’s federal riding boundaries and explain how the changes benefit Hamilton’s four incumbents. The Conservative, Liberal, and NDP incumbents all get a lucky break this decade with friendly votes being added to their ridings and unfriendly votes shifting out.
More details here:
Three Joey’s Notepad Blog Posts: 2030 Commonwealth Games, Municipal Federal Election Priorities, and
Three blog posts over the weekend.
1) The Commonwealth Games will survive into 2030, and Ontario’s 905-Belt municipalities are supporting a Government of Ontario bid for the Games. Officially, Hamilton is not involved, but we all know Hamilton founded the games in 1930, and if Ontario hosts the Commonwealth Games brand in 2030, the opening and closing will be in Hamilton. India is planning to bid as well.
2) Burlington and Mississauga list federal election priorities. These municipalities are asking federal parties to address economic issues (especially tariffs), housing, municipal financial tools, mental health and addictions, and climate change.
Hamilton has not yet issued any statements on the federal election.
3) Are Lawn Weeds Free Expression? I’m watching a municipal law legal case involving a Mississauga resident challenging the city’s weed control bylaws. The resident says his naturalized garden is expressive activity protected by the Charter because it expresses his views on using native plants and ecosystems. The City cut his lawn (and sent him the bill) because the grasses were taller than 20 centimeters.
The resident filed a court challenge and lost. He filed an appeal to the Ontario Court of Appeal, and this is where it became more interesting because the Canadian Constitution Foundation intervened.
The Court of Appeal ruled the initial trial did not follow the required process for Charter challenges and ordered a new trial.