Three city councillors voted against whatever closed-door decision the majority of council approved for a “Lease Agreement—Pier 7, 121 Haida Drive (formerly 47 Discovery Drive).”
Based on municipal mapping, this address is the building that currently houses a Williams Cafe, the offices of the Hamilton Waterfront Trust, and the Trust’s business operations.
Council voted to keep confidential all details about the lease agreement, including who the lease is with, how long the lease will be, and what (if any) financial benefit there is for the City of Hamilton.
Opposing the “lease agreement” were Councillors Brad Clark, Jeff Beattie, and Ted McMeekin.
Clark was the only councillor to oppose the motion to keep all details confidential.
The matter was debated during two separate closed sessions.
On May 1st, it was one of two items on the General Issues Committee closed agenda. The other, adding a second level to the new Waterdown combined fire and police station to locate a 911 call centre, was non-controversial and should’ve taken five minutes at most.
Council was in closed session for 1 hour, 59 minutes, and 13 seconds on May 1st.
At the May 8 City Council ratification meeting, it was the only item on the closed agenda. Council spent 1 hour, 34 minutes, and 30 seconds in closed session.
Ontario’s Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act protects all documents and information related to Council closed session debates.
There is no legal method for the public to learn any of the information that council voted to keep confidential.
Production Details v. 1.0.0 Published: June 3, 2024 Last updated: June 3, 2024 Author: Joey Coleman Update Record v. 1.0.0 original version