The meeting agenda is online here. It begins at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday inside Council Chambers. It will be livestreamed on YouTube.
It will be a showdown between the Council and the development industry at this meeting.
The Canadian Home Builders’ Association is forcing City Hall to explain its claim that the CHBA’s national report is invalid – Hamilton is disputing the validity of the report, which found Hamilton the worst municipality in Canada for housing approvals.
Councillors will vote on the Planning Act regulations to enact the City’s “Green Building Standards” rules, which require developers to build to a higher environmental standard than the Ontario Building Code. This is likely to be subject to legal challenges if the provincial government doesn’t intervene first.
Also on the agenda: an Ancaster development with plenty of public opposition.
Here are seven items of note on the agenda:
- Green Building Standards.
- 387, 397, 405 and 409 Hamilton Drive, Ancaster.
- Decrease in Active Planning Applications – Quarterly Stats.
- Haudenosaunee Development Institute Issues Demands in Fruitland-Winona.
- a demolition permit for 535 Old Dundas Road, Ancaster.
- Sole sourcing parking enforcement.
The Items of Note
Green Building Standards: The City will require developers to meet stricter environmental standards than those outlined in Ontario’s Building Code if they wish to construct new housing and buildings in Hamilton.
Among the requirements proposed:
- “Provide a heat pump system to deliver 80% of facility peak heating load.”
- “Design all new buildings for solar readiness.”
- “In order to achieve zoning compliance, at minimum, each Electric Vehicle Parking Space shall have an adjacent electrical outlet at which an electric vehicle charger can be installed in the future.”
- Landscaping shall have 50 percent “native or adapted species”
- Dark Sky features.
- Green or cool roof design.
City Council will debate financial incentives for condo and industrial developers to exceed the City’s new minimum standards. The City does not propose incentives for rental housing.
387, 397, 405 and 409 Hamilton Drive, Ancaster: Following administrative issues with Planning Act public notices, a proposal to build 17 homes on a woodlot is back in front of Councillors. The development will remove 659 trees. City staff state it meets all Planning Act requirements and recommend approval.
Active Development Applications are Decreasing: The City states “as of March 18, 2025, there are 47 active development proposals, which is a 13% decrease compared to April, 2024. Nine proposals are 2025 files (19%), eight proposals are 2024 files (17%), five proposals are 2023 files (11%), and 25 proposals are pre-2023 files (53%).”
Fruitland Winona Secondary Plan Servicing Strategy: The City is moving forward with the necessary steps to provide services for new development in the Fruitland-Winona area of Stoney Creek.
Two noteworthy new details. The City must work with the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board to expand the approved land block for the future elementary school. The current block size “is insufficient based on changes in Provincial requirements.”
The Haudenosaunee Development Institute is reiterating its demands for consultation and compensation on new development in Hamilton. They want the City to pay them to translate documents into the Mohawk and Cayuga languages.
535 Old Dundas Road, Ancaster: The Ancaster Mill wants to demolish a vacant residential property that the company owns, located across the street from its restaurant, conference, and wedding complex. The Mill bought the land in 2023.
City staff recommend denying the request, stating that the application is “premature” because the Mill does not have final Site Plan Approval for the redevelopment of the property.
Non-Competitive Extension of Parking Enforcement: City staff do not wish to have a competitive bidding process for the City’s parking enforcement contract. They are requesting that the Council approve an extension of Impark’s contract for an additional five years, until the end of 2030. Impark has successfully issued more penalties, resulting in increased revenue for the City.
In 2024, Impark issued 62.77 percent more tickets and generated a 65.61 percent increase in penalty fine value compared to 2023.
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Published: April 28, 2025
Last updated: April 28, 2025
Author: Joey Coleman
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