The hardest column to write in journalism is one that predicts a government official will achieve something good, and I’m doing that.
Mayor Andrea Horwath is holding a “community safety summit” on Nov. 10. It will be an all-day event (8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.) at LiUNA Station with panels, discussions, and one hour of breakout groups between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m.
The summit is intended to inform updates to Hamilton’s Community Safety and Well-Being Plan — which is broader than just crime.
From experience, I’m sceptical about these types of events.
However, Mayor Horwath earned engagement credibility during her recent budget town halls, which featured an open microphone and unfiltered questions from participants. General managers of the city’s five departments were seated at the front of the room during each of the six town halls, all of them hearing directly from Hamiltonians.
It was a marked departure from the city’s previous “engagement” exercises that had been poorly organized, were performative, and left most participants feeling unheard.
Undermining the credibility of an otherwise good engagement, Mayor Horwath waited until the last minute to announce them. There was only 48 hours’ notice for the first town hall.
Because the mayor listened during the budget process, this is why I am recommending attending at least the hour-long breakout portion.
Register to attend on the City of Hamilton website.
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Published: November 1, 2025
Last updated: November 1, 2025
Author: Joey Coleman
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I have registered for the Summit and commend the Mayor and Council for their efforts to bring the community together to tackle these complex problems. We need to leave behind the anger, criticism ( often based on misinformation ) and misogyny and try to work together to make Hamilton the great city we know it can be
Not sure if I can get away from work to attend this, and my somewhat limited dealings with the city have left me extremely distrustful. I have no illusions about “mattering”. As a homeowner I am simply an obstacle to whatever developer is looking for real estate bargains in the city.
However, it could provide a good networking opportunity for the beleaguered home and business owners of Central Hamilton to organize ourselves. There are a couple of class action lawsuits in Toronto and Montreal that could be precedent setting. Some of the saner people in the neighborhood Facebook group have been talking about reviving groups like Neighborhood Watch.
Personally, I think that is where the solutions lie – organized community action from people actually living in the affected areas. Happy to be proven wrong though.
Hi Zack,
Thank you for the thoughtful comment. I agree with your sentiment. I was very skeptical about the budget town halls, based on my experiences with previous engagements.
I’m watching the civil suits in other juristictions. Unfortuantely, I do not have the time to go to Toronto and review the court filings.