Hamilton City Council voted 6–10 Wednesday to defeat an Interim Control Bylaw that would have banned new AI data centre construction and expansion across the city’s industrial zones for up to one year.
The vote reverses the direction Council gave itself on June 24, when it voted 15-1 to proceed with drafting the bylaw. In between, the City Solicitor provided legal advice in closed session on whether Section 62.0.2 of the Planning Act would exempt McMaster University’s proposed data centre at 44 Frid Street from the bylaw regardless of how Council voted.
In favour: Kroetsch (Ward 2), Nann (Ward 3), Francis (Ward 5), Jackson (Ward 6), Pauls (Ward 7), A. Wilson (Ward 13).
Opposed: Mayor Horwath, M. Wilson (Ward 1), Hwang (Ward 4), Cooper (Ward 8), Clark (Ward 9), Beattie (Ward 10), Tadeson (Ward 11), Cassar (Ward 12), Spadafora (Ward 14), McMeekin (Ward 15).
The full chronological liveblog, as posted throughout the day, follows below.
A fuller post-meeting story will be published in the coming days.
Full Replay
Key events
- 4:40 PMThank you everyone who followed today’s live coverage. I’ll have more to follow. I am now closing the liveblog.
- 4:27 PMCouncil just voted to NOT implement an Interim Control bylaw. Stay by for the vote count… #hamont #yhmcc
- 4:15 PMMayor Andrea Horwath says the two Hamilton data centres are public interest ones, they are non-profits and will enable Canadian institutions to stop buying compute from American companies.
- 3:56 PMWard 14 Councillor Mike Spadafora opens by stating it needs to “be clear” that there are rules in plan to regulate building and data centres. “Let’s just be…
- 3:39 PMCity Solicitor Lisa Shields provides a public summary of a portion of the legal advice given to City Council in closed session. Does Section 62.0.2 of the Planning…
- 3:29 PMCouncil closed session as ended. I am back in the Council Chamber and live blogging coverage resumes
- 2:53 PMCouncil has been in closed session for approximately two hours. That’s the full liveblog update at this time.
- 2:30 PMCouncil remains in closed session. A quick “on-the-scene” update with photos. People are enjoying discussions, with many people on differing sides of issues chatting. A lot of good…
- 12:49 PMCouncil resumes, and now enters closed session. I’ll be back after closed session. Legal advice regarding the AI Interim Control Bylaw is among the items
- 11:14 AMCity Council will recess at 11:45 a.m. to allow council members to attend a ceremonial street renaming outside of the Stelco complex in commemoration of the 1946 strike.…
- 10:33 AMNow onto Motions. Residential Care Facilities zoning changes and recommendation to remove radial separation restrictions.
- 10:21 AMGIC report is complete, now onto the Audit, Finance, and Administration Committee: City flag policy, 2023 uncollectable accounts write-off.
- 10:16 AMPlanning Committee complete. Council now on General Issues Committee report. Vacant industrial properties, relocation of Ferguson food service, Housing and Homelessness Action Plan, Jurisdictional Scan on Emergency Shelter…
- 10:10 AMNow onto the Planning Committee items. – Cannon Knitting Mill, Residential Care Facilities Zoning, dump-dumping in Flamborough, zoning approvals, and Binbrook CIPA.
- 9:53 AMCouncil discussed an Integrity Commissioner report stating that Council member *cannot* link to their official work from their social media accounts if those accounts are used for their…
Good morning.
I’m seated in the public gallery here at Hamilton City Hall.
I’ll get the quorum count and other opening admin posted when I get an opportunity.
There are around 50 to 75 people in the gallery who are opposed to AI data centres.
A few minutes into the meeting, all 16 Council members are now present.
The big item today is the AI Data Centre Interim Control By-law. There are 305 written public submissions on the proposal.
Also on the agenda:
Whether to remove longstanding distance and capacity restrictions on Residential Care Facilities citywide. Planning Committee referred the item to Council with no recommendation after a proposed amendment did not proceed.
Council will also consider recommendations from five committees that met over the past two weeks: Public Works (July 6), Planning (July 7), General Issues (July 8), Audit, Finance and Administration (July 9), and Emergency and Community Services (July 9).
Council will also receive an Integrity Commissioner report finding two breaches of the Council Code of Conduct by Ward 2 Councillor Cameron Kroetsch, related to campaign use of City resources during the current election period. Kroetsch had sought the advice of the City Clerk regarding his social media during the election, the IC has differently ruled than the City Clerk.
Enforcement gaps at vacant industrial properties.
Ontario Works overpayments
Heritage designation for Ryerson United Church
Recycling collection for non-eligible properties.
City Council’s ceremonial activities today included a commendation for Paul Toth, Senior Customer Care Representative at the Hamilton Street Railway.
Toth heroically ran into a burning home on Cope Street and rescued a trapped person, saving their live.
Council discussed an Integrity Commissioner report stating that Council member *cannot* link to their official work from their social media accounts if those accounts are used for their re-election campaigns. They also cannot reference the local boards that they sit upon.
Integrity Commissioner David G. Boghosian is present in the Council Chamber.
Councillors asked many questions regarding the conflicting interpretations of Municipal Elections Act rules when interacting with the Council Code of Conduct.
Boghosian and City Clerk Matthew Trennum state they are going to meet and provide a joint set of rules for sitting councillors. (The IC oversees the Code of Conduct, the Clerk oversees the Municipal Elections Act, this is why the two of them need to meet and issue a joint understanding)
Ward 2 Councillor Cameron Kroetsch just stated that the Police Board Chair acted in a discriminatory manner towards Council Citizen Member Dr. Anjali Menezes. He made a specific allegation regarding an interaction.
Because of the specific nature of the allegation, I want to go back after the meeting to carefully listen before posting.
Kroetsch says the letter from Menezes must be acted upon by City Council.
Ward 13 Councillor Alex Wilson states reading the letter was very difficult because of what Menezes experienced.
Ward 3 Councillor Nrinder Nann provides similar comments. She notes that Menezes was appointed by a new process that brought together council members and citizens to ensure the community appointee on the Police Board reflected the broader community.
Council needs to review what happened, and ensure corrective action is taken at the Police Board, Nann’s remarks summarized.
As each of the three councillors spoke, there was snapping fingers of agreement in the public gallery.
Council is now debating the Public Works Committee decisions.
First up is the Item 7.1.
PW25046(a) Recycling Services for Non-Eligible Properties After December 31, 2026
Committee voted unanimously to continue recycling collection running for roughly 2,700 non-eligible properties — small businesses, daycares, places of worship — until the end of the current waste collection contract which runs for a few years. (apology, I cannot recollect the year on the top of mind)
Council has amended the recycling collection decision to use $706,000 from the Tax Stabilization Reserve to fund continued collection until March 2027, with the remainder of the 2027 to be included in the 2027 City budget.
There was a divided vote at Public Works: changes to the Curbside Yard Waste Collection Schedule. Yard waste will now be collected April through mid-December starting in 2027
Public Works Committee also discussed sidewalk accessibility compliance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, and align Hamilton’s curb-ramp design with the province’s “truncated dome” standard, and continuing to accept recycling at Community Recycling Centres
There were several ward-specific safety motion.
Ward 6 Councillor Tom Jackson asks to be recorded as opposed to the curbside yard collection schedule change.
The vote on this matter was 11-5.
Francis, Jackson, Pauls, Clark, and Beattie opposed.
Now onto the Planning Committee items.
– Cannon Knitting Mill, Residential Care Facilities Zoning, dump-dumping in Flamborough, zoning approvals, and Binbrook CIPA.
Ward 9 Councillor Brad Clark asks the Chief Planner, Anita Fabac, to confirm if the City’s new guidelines for complete [Planning Act] application are updated to meet recently enacted Provincial planning legislative changes.
Yes, the City has reflected the changes enacted and will make amendments when move enactments and regulations are announced.
Planning Committee complete. Council now on General Issues Committee report.
Vacant industrial properties, relocation of Ferguson food service, Housing and Homelessness Action Plan, Jurisdictional Scan on Emergency Shelter Access and Inter-Municipal Coordination (new arrivals to Hamilton using emergency shelters), Allocation of City of Hamilton’s Municipal Accommodation Tax Funds, Downtown Sub-Committee, Development of a Regionally Significant Community Hub at 700 Garner Road East, and more.
Ward 5 Councillor Matt Francis moves amendment to the Jurisdictional Scan on Emergency Shelter Access and Inter-Municipal Coordination motion.
In sum, Francis’ amendment directs staff to standardize how the City documents people’s places of origin, that the City standardize how it tries to reconnect / assist people to return to their community of origin, and the City do better data collection on these matters.
10:19 AM: Francis’ amendment passes unanimously.
GIC report is complete, now onto the Audit, Finance, and Administration Committee:
City flag policy, 2023 uncollectable accounts write-off.
AFA is quickly approved. Now onto Emergency and Community Services:
Ontario Works Eligibility and Overpayment Processes report
Committee confirmed $1,994,350 in ongoing provincial funding, making 12 Community Paramedic positions permanent. The funding is fully Ministry-covered, with no cost to the municipality.
There is a speakers list.
First to speak is Ward 2 Councillor Cameron Kroetsch speaks to the Recreation Framework for Community Collaboration which will create new process for community funding of programs that help fulfil the Recreation Master Plan.
This is known as the Framework for Community Collaboration and Indirect Service Delivery.
Part of the changes is that community groups will now be directed to a process for funding and colloboration to replace the current ad-hoc approaches that have seen direct delegations to Council.
Ward 6 Councillor Tom Jackson takes issue with what he suggests were comments against volunteer community groups that had been directly lobbying and delegating to City Council.
Now onto Motions.
Residential Care Facilities zoning changes and recommendation to remove radial separation restrictions.
Ward 3 Councillor Nrinder Nann moves an amendment to keep radial separations and prohibit new RCFs in Wards 2 and 3.
Seconded by Ward 2 Councillor Cameron Kroetsch.
I stepped out for a moment to cross to the other side to take photos.
In the foyer, City Hall security was professionally talking with an individual about what can be brought into the Council Chamber. Long-story short, people have brought drum sticks, small noise makers, and a few skateboards / long boards.
Because these are objects which can be thrown, and do not have a permitted expressive activity, they cannot be brought into the Chamber.
Once explained, everyone I’ve seen today has understood this and there have been no issues.
The City has become much better at ensuring people’s Charter Rights to attend and express themselves are protected.
The amendment motion is to have staff go back and do more work, with the goal of maintaining prohibitions in Wards 2/3.
Council having a lengthy discussion regarding the Nann/Kroetsch amendment to continue to prohibit new RCFs in Wards 2 and 3.
Ward 13 Councillor Alex Wilson:
A. Wilson notes that the concentration of RCFs in Ward 3 is only pockets. It is not ward-wide, and that prohibiting RCFs in all of Ward 3 may not be good policy. He notes most of Ward 3 has the same density of RCFs as Ward 13.
Ward 9 Councillor Brad Clark:
Clark expresses concerns regarding the legal risks of continuing to restrict RCFs because it can been seen as zoning against groups of people, and municipalities are not permitted to zone for people.
Ward 15 Councillor Ted McMeekin:
McMeekin has similar legal concerns. He expresses hope that the further staff review will address concerns.
Ward 1 Councillor Maureen Wilson:
M. Wilson says “housing is a human right” and adds she head this often during the debates regarding encampments.
She continues with listing the original discriminatory restrictive covenants that Westdale was founded with that banned anyone who was not white Anglo-Saxon Protestant from living in that master planned community.
She states as a matter of principle she does not support restrictions on people.
Continue the RCF debate:
Ward 6 Councillor Tom Jackson supports radial separation and other restrictions on residential care facility locations due to community impacts that can occur.
Mayor Andrea Horwath says she supported implementing radial separation when she was Ward 2 Alderman (she said councillor, I’m amending to the term that was in used prior to amalgamation), and supports the Nann/Kroetsch amendment.
Ward 2 Councillor Cameron Kroetsch says the RCF radial separation in Ward 2 will enable RCFs to be located in other communities so that people who need RCF services can access them in any community, including their communities.
Here is some of the Westdale restrictive covenant language:
“None of the lands described … shall be used, occupied by or let or sold to Negroes, Asiatics, Bulgarians, Austrians, Russians, Serbs, Rumanians, Turks, Armenians, whether British subjects or not, or foreign-born Italians, Greeks or Jews.”
The Nann/Kroetsch motion passes 11 to 5.
In Favour: Mayor, 2,3,4,5,6,7,10,11,13,14
Opposed: 1,8,9,12,15
Onto Motions:
Ward 6 Councillor Tom Jackson moves to spend $15,000 from Ward 6 discretionary capital funding to sponsor the Hamilton Olympic Club’s 100th Anniversary Gala on September 19.
Seconded by Ward 5 Councillor Matt Francis.
Passes unanimously.
There are a few ward-specific motions and then a housekeeping administrative motion. I’m going to take a few moments to catch up on a few things.
City Council will recess at 11:45 a.m. to allow council members to attend a ceremonial street renaming outside of the Stelco complex in commemoration of the 1946 strike.
I expect they’ll recess before AI debate
Now on the floor:
Ward 2 Councillor Cameron Kroetsch’s motion directing staff to report back in Q3 2026 on all options — including acquisition — for the Cannon Knitting Mill.
CONFIRMED: Council will recess before beginning the AI matter.
Council is now on “Statements from Members” and will then recess.
I’ll update next when the recess begins. I have to begin packing up my stuff before the recess.
Lunch recess begins at 11:47 a.m.
Council is scheduled to return at 12:45 p.m.
Liveblogging will resume shortly before 12:45 p.m.
Council resumes, and now enters closed session. I’ll be back after closed session.
Legal advice regarding the AI Interim Control Bylaw is among the items
Council remains in closed session. A quick “on-the-scene” update with photos.
People are enjoying discussions, with many people on differing sides of issues chatting. A lot of good spirit as we past 90 minutes of waiting for Council to return. 
Council has been in closed session for approximately two hours. That’s the full liveblog update at this time.
Council closed session as ended. I am back in the Council Chamber and live blogging coverage resumes
It is now 3:31 p.m.
Members of the public are returning to the Council Chamber.
Councillors seem in good moods. There was playful banter between Ward 2 Councillor Cameron Kroetsch and Ward 6 Councillor Tom Jackson regarding something [maybe food in the fridge] going missing in the Councillors Lounge.
I estimate around 30 people in the public galleries.
City Solicitor Lisa Shields provides a public summary of a portion of the legal advice given to City Council in closed session.
Does Section 62.0.2 of the Planning Act allow McMaster University to construct the 44 Frid Street McMaster University data centre.
It is except from the Interim Control Bylaw
City Solicitor Lisa Shields provides a public summary of a portion of the legal advice given to City Council in closed session.
Does Section 62.0.2 of the Planning Act allow McMaster University to construct the 44 Frid Street McMaster University data centre.
It is except from the Interim Control Bylaw
City Council just approved the bylaws list. Bills 116 to 124.
The Data Centres Interim Control Bylaw is Bill 127.
Now being debated.
Ward 4 Councillor Tammy Hwang says the legal advice in closed session informed Council that its authority has limitations.
She says she is opposed to “hyperscale” data centres. This gets a lot of finger snaps from the audience.
Hwang says she will vote AGAINST the Interim Control Bylaw due to the legal advice.
Ward 2 Councillor Cameron Kroetsch opens by stating having received the legal advice, he has a different perspective of it.
He will be voting *FOR* the Interim Control Bylaw.
Says the City cannot take the federal government’s word on AI. The City needs to implement its own regulations and rules.
A lot of finger-snapping of approval.
Kroetsch says the federal government is failing Hamilton on regulating the railway emissions at West Harbour.
Says the provincial government is failing Hamilton on air pollution with soot.
Adds it is “ironic we are debating this on a day that the sky is orange” to loud applauses and supporters in the gallery on their feet cheering.
Ward 13 Councillor Alex Wilson opens by stating he will continue to vote *FOR* the Interim Control Bylaw.
Mayor Horwath asked people to not finger snap. They continue to do so in support of Alex Wilson.
Wilson says the City needs to step in to protect Hamiltonians from the failures of the provincial government and federal government.
“They are not doing their jurisdiction job to the satisfaction of the community.”
Says “I am going the job that the higher levels of government should be doing.”
Ward 14 Councillor Mike Spadafora opens by stating it needs to “be clear” that there are rules in plan to regulate building and data centres. “Let’s just be clear about that … that is important for the public to know.”
“An Interim Control Bylaw does not provide any protection for Hamilton … it does not guarantee there will not be a data centre.”
Says it could be legally challenged. It is outside the jurisdiction of the municipality.
“The only thing we could be doing is pissing off a couple of applicants who can take their investment elsewhere.”
3:59 PM: There are heckles and boos from the public gallery directed at Spadafora.
Ward 9 Councillor Brad Clark reinforces his previous statements regarding the ICB. Clark was the only vote against ICB.
Clark adds that the Province already regulates “hyperscale” data centres, noting the Province is “clearly concerned” but “for different reasons” noting the Province is regulating for power demands.
He takes about the different roles of the different levels of governments. He agrees “the challenge comes with those giant ones.”
He says the City cannot act ultra vires, because it will get into court battles it will lose.
If Hamilton implements ICB, the research data centres will go elsewhere.
Plenty of heckles from the public gallery against Clark.
Clark speaks more forcefully.
He says the City’s
“I can’t be a councillor who says the hell to $2-billlion in investment in our community” and for the economic. Hamiltonians are being laid off in the trades, steel plant layoffs.
“RESIGN” are the heckles from the audience.
Ward 3 Councillor Nrinder Nann says she is “proud” to move the Interim Control Bylaw, saying that will have a bust. Good projects accept good planning.
Nann repeats her previous points to plenty of finger-snapping from the public gallery.
Highlight4:15 PM: Mayor Andrea Horwath says the two Hamilton data centres are public interest ones, they are non-profits and will enable Canadian institutions to stop buying compute from American companies.
There are many heckles against Mayor Horwath as she speaks.
Deputy Mayor Mike Spadafora, as Mayor Horwath, states he will no longer tolerate the heckling from the public gallery. He warns he will clear the Council Chamber if people do not cease interrupting the Council.
This came moments after Mayor Horwath noted true medical advances that have been AI-assisted. A person yelled this is not true.
Council just voted to NOT implement an Interim Control bylaw.
How Hamilton CIty Council voted on Interim Control Bylaw on Data Centres on Wednesday, July 15, 2026.
The motion was defeated 6 to 10.
In favour: Cameron Kroetsch (Ward 2), Nrinder Nann (Ward 3), Matt Francis (Ward 5), Tom Jackson (Ward 6), Esther Pauls (Ward 7), and Alex Wilson (Ward 13).
Opposed: Mayor Andrea Horwath, Maureen Wilson (Ward 1), Tammy Hwang (Ward 4), Rob Cooper (Ward 8), Brad Clark (Ward 9), Jeff Beattie (Ward 10), Mark Tadeson (Ward 11), Craig Cassar (Ward 12), Mike Spadafora (Ward 14), and Ted McMeekin (Ward 15).
Thank you everyone who followed today’s live coverage.
I’ll have more to follow.
I am now closing the liveblog.
Discussion
6 commentsVery low numbers for people protesting the data centre. I hope councillors see the big picture and that more people support data centre than not. This is important to Hamilton. Councillors who didn’t show up yesterday shouldn’t be allowed to vote.
There’s 250 pieces of written correspondence and a petition with 1000 signatures posted on the public agenda, almost all opposed to the data centre. Would have been nice to see proponents run their own email and signature campaign so we could the support on their side
Ridiculous. All Councillors get to vote on topics.
It’s almost as if most people work on Wednesdays and can’t always get time off from work to protest. Shocker.
Minimal letters sent to oppose so there were other ways to have a voice. Majority want data centres
These are the same city councillors who voted in favour of the bubble by-laws that were clearly ultra-vires.