Hamilton’s Chief Librarian Paul Takala is contemplating a “temporary closure of the Central library to disrupt the pattern of drug use” inside the downtown Hamilton library branch, and says illicit drug use needs to be addressed “before someone is accidentally poisoned by unintentional exposure.”
“While the level of encampment activity in front of HPL on York Boulevard has decreased, inside Central, drug use and overdoses are happening frequently and impacting the public’s use of the building,” Takala says. “Security measures and collective efforts to limit drug consumption in the library have not adequately addressed the problem.”
If a temporary closure is implemented, the Library plans to use the time to make additional physical layout changes to the Central branch, including significant changes to the children’s area.
Drug use, intoxication, and verbal outbursts are cited as primary factors in a 60 per cent decline in the borrowing of children’s materials at the Central Library. In April 2025, the Library Board approved a medium-term plan to relocate the children’s section to a different floor.
Takala says this plan may be accelerated following a “winter that has been more challenging than we’ve experienced before.”
“The biggest problem is really the drug use that we’re trying to deter from happening in our spaces.”
He attributes the rapid worsening to several factors, including the closure of supervised consumption sites.
“We’ve experienced in some ways the opioid crisis going back well before the pandemic, although it wasn’t at the scale that it is right now,” he said. “Making this year worse is also the provincial government changed policies last March around safe consumption and with the province prohibiting them from being available, we’re seeing that kind of activity in public spaces like the library.”
Takala says he will present options to tonight’s regularly scheduled Library Board meeting. The Board will also go into closed session regarding the security and labour relation issues related to the drug use problems.
Among the alternatives to be considered, the Library may temporarily restrict access to registered library card holders.
Repeatedly during an interview, Takala emphasized the Library is seeking to remain as open as possible, that the institutional remains committed to being a welcoming environment to all, “but at the end of the day, we also have to preserve our mission as a library.”
“Kids are only four once, and these early years are so formative,” he said. “When we look at the lack of kids in the children’s department, a lot of times that is a real problem for now and for the future.”
Ward 2 Councillor Says Governments Must Do More To Address Drug Crisis
Ward 2 Councillor Cameron Kroetsch said he is “really concerned about the fact that we might have to even think about closing the central branch of the library.”
He previously committed Ward 2 area-rated funds to the planned renovations and move of the children’s section.
“I was at the library on Saturday. I understand the conditions are hard and not all library staff are trained to address these issues,” Kroetsch said. “I’m also the Chair of Board of Health. So these things all come together in a certain kind of way. We’ve seen a worsening drug poisoning crisis been happening in the last several months, especially around the time since the province decided they’re going to close down all the safe consumption sites and safe injection sites.”
“People who use drugs have nowhere to go. There’s no public space for them to be in. There’s no private space for them to be in, and they’re forced to be in these concentrated areas … and the library has become, unfortunately, a focal point for this.”
Kroetsch says there are broader issues that governments must address.
“I’ve been pushing for it for this entire term of council to say we have to be able to say that if people are going to use drugs and we know they’re going to, that we have to at least give some positive guidance around where they can be,” Kroetsch said. “Right now, it’s not working for them to be in front of the library door, blocking the library door, using the washrooms in a way that doesn’t allow anybody else to use the washrooms, so these kinds of things are causing impacts, not only library users, but also people who are just trying to find some warmth in the cold.”
Downtown Safety Concerns
The possible closure follows growing public use of illicit drugs inside the library and the attached Jackson Square shopping complex.
In recent weeks, a man was killed during an unprovoked attack inside Jackson Square. Hamilton Police have arrested drug dealers inside the mall’s food court and outside the doors of the Central Library.
In 2024, the Chief Justice of the Federal Court of Canada announced the immediate and permanent closure of its Hamilton location due to the risk of random violence occurring in Hamilton’s downtown area.
Beginning on February 1, the Central Library closed on Sundays and shifted its weekday opening time from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. These service reductions were attributed to safety concerns and the requirement to have sufficient social service workers and security staff on duty.
Library Budget Cap Creates Additional Pressure, Mayor Opposes Library Budget Request
Compounding the Library’s challenges, Mayor Andrea Horwath is holding the Library to a 4.25 per cent funding increase for 2025. City Council voted 9–7 last week against Horwath’s cap on the Library budget, but this vote margin will not be enough to override a possible mayoral veto.
Mayor Horwath has declined to discuss why the library is held to the 4.25 per cent cap while some other city departments and boards are permitted to exceed it. The Mayor’s budget includes funding for at least six security guards at City Hall during daytime hours following safety concerns raised by council members and senior management.
Wednesday’s Library Board meeting will include a discussion on how to address a $373,050 shortfall if the Mayor exercises her veto power. The recommended response is to leave vacant positions unfilled and increase staffing efficiency.
Library Goal Is to Improve Safety, Encourage Families to Return, and Restore Sunday Hours
Chief Librarian Takala says he is hopeful that renovations and an increased response to issues will address the problems at the Central branch.
“People shouldn’t confuse this with the library abandoning our respect for the dignity of every individual in this community. We see our mission as a library, as one of advancing human rights,” Takala said. “The individuals that today may not be in a good state to come into the library, I hope in the future they will be in a position that we look forward to welcoming them back.”
Today’s Library Board meeting begins at 6:00 p.m. Due to weather, it will be held by video conference. The meeting will be livestreamed for public viewing.
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Published: February 17, 2026
Last updated: February 17, 2026
Author: Joey Coleman
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