TLDR: The City Manager’s Office has agreed to arrange a briefing on Thursday regarding whatever the ventilation issue is in the new “bus barn.” I was at the City’s budget town hall tonight and asked about the issue.
Below is a blog post explaining my process regarding this issue and why I have not yet published a story regarding the issue.
Good evening, everyone.
There is plenty of discussion in the community regarding a reported “ventilation issue” with the new HSR Bus Maintenance & Storage Facility that is costing $400 million to construct.
Briefly, during the September 15 Special Council meeting on the future expansion of Hamilton’s public transit system, Mayor Andrea Horwath and Ward 9 Councillor Brad Clark both stated there is some sort of ventilation issue with the new facility (affectionately known as the “bus barn”).
Video: Horwath’s comments
Horwath stated she is “concerned” about an issue of a “lack of ventilation” in the new facility and “who pays” for fixing the issue and the resulting delays.
Video: Clark’s comments
Clark stated, “To Mayor Horwath, I couldn’t agree more with you with your frustration regarding the bus barn… I do not know how anyone could design a giant bus barn and forget ventilation… I don’t know how that happened.”
Following the meeting, both HSR managers and the General Manager of Public Works provided unclear responses to questions regarding this issue. I determined it would be wholly unhelpful to public understanding to publish a rushed story without details.
Two days later, on September 19, following the Council ratification meeting, Mayor Horwath stated that a report and/or update regarding the issue was forthcoming from staff and would be issued shortly.
I expected this update to be issued no later than today, September 24, when Council agendas for next week were published. With the Ward 8 by-election occurring over the weekend and on Monday, I put the bus barn issue onto my September 24 “to-do.”
Yesterday, the issue was widely discussed on closed Facebook groups and on Reddit.
Some commenters, not unfairly in my opinion, expressed surprise that I hadn’t “mentioned it at all.”
Today, there were no updates in either the Council GIC or the Public Works Committee agenda.
Tonight, at the beginning of a public budget town hall, as a professional courtesy, I informed the City Manager’s Director of Communications that I intented to ask the General Manager of Public Works questions when the event ended at 8:00 p.m.
We both agreed it be better to schedule a more fulsome conversation for tomorrow.
During the question and answer session, I hope to learn what the issue is, then how the issue happened, who is paying to fix it, and what the impact of the resulting delay is.
I’ll keep you informed.
I hope this note explaining my process is helpful.
Also, in my conversations with the City Manager’s Director of Communications tonight, I did express my preference for the City to hold a broader availability, and to invite the “Media Partners” to the session.
I used to work nationally as a journalist for Maclean’s, and following that as a contract columnist/contributor to The Globe and Mail for many years. There was always an expectation of professional courtesy between our nation’s top newsrooms—it is a standard of professionalism I continue to strive to uphold.
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Published: September 24, 2025
Last updated: September 24, 2025
Author: Joey Coleman
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v. 1.0.0 original version