It is the first full 16-member City Council committee meeting of 2026.
For 2026, Mayor Andrea Horwath has rearranged the council chambers seating arrangement with the seven progressive and progressive-leaning councillors now seated to the right of the chair (with right-leaning Ward 14 Councillor Mike Spadafora seated in the middle of the right side), and everyone else on council to the left.
The Barton / Tiffany Microshelters Inc. procurement is not officially on today’s Council agenda, the internal audit report outlining the incompetence that costs Hamiltonians millions is on tomorrow’s Audit, Finance, and Administration Committee meeting agenda, but we can expect council members to reference it repeatedly during a progress update regarding the ‘low-barrier’ outdoor emergency shelter.
The meeting begins at 9:30 a.m. and will be livestreamed on YouTube. The full agenda is here.
Here are some of the items on today’s agenda.
Barton/Tiffany Emergency Shelter: Non-Capital Programming Update
In an update report, City of Hamilton staff state the Barton/Tiffany outdoor emergency shelter had provided emergency housing for 92 people between February 5 and July 31, 2025.
The program is now focused on assisting clients to access permanent housing. However, the report states there are undefined challenges with clients reaching the stage of having a complete housing application. It states 82 per cent of the clients lacked “a completed housing application” as of July 31.
“The City and Temporary Barton Tiffany Shelter should work together to identify and address delays or barriers with completing social housing applications, ensuring more clients have applications submitted in a timely manner,” reads the staff report.
“Since opening, 15 clients have been discharged for various reasons, including four who were discharged to housing.”
Gore Buildings Collapse Update on Post-Collapse Enforcement Blitz
It was fortunate nobody was killed on November 11, 2024 when the buildings at 18-28 King Street East collapsed on Gore Park mere hours before Hamilton’s Remembrance Day ceremony.
Since that time, the City of Hamilton has launched a city-wide enforcement blitz targeting vacant and derelict buildings.
The City has identified 372 vacant buildings across Hamilton. In a report to Council, the City’s Chief Building Official, and the Director of Bylaw and Licensing, state 147 of the buildings are registered vacant buildings and 224 are unregistered.
The City is now working to gain compliance and registration from the owners of the unregistered properties. The City charges an initial $1,301 registration fee, with an annual renewal of $961.
City’s Credit Rating Downgrade
City Council is formally being notified by the City’s General Manager of Finance and Corporate Services that the City’s credit bond rating has been downgraded. The GM’s report is full of spin and misdirection, much like the press release the City Manager’s Office issued on October 27, 2024 that had a celebratory tone.
S&P Global Ratings downgraded the City’s rating due to the 2024 cybersecurity failure, which revealed broader incompetence in the City’s financial management practices.
The rating agency explicitly cited “gaps in the city’s financial management practices, particularly risk management, that are not consistent with similarly rated peers” as the reason for the downgrade, and is warning that Hamilton being one of Canada’s least transparent municipalities could result in further downgrades.
City management disagrees with external assessments, and claim the downgrade to ‘AA+’ is a positive “reflecting the City’s continued fiscal discipline and a diversified economy that supports long-term stability.”
Removing Property Tax Compliance Requirement for Municipal Business Revitalization Grants
If passed, the City of Hamilton will give municipal revitalization grants to property owners who have significant property tax arrears. Presently, the City does not permit commercial property owners to apply for grants until they have paid property tax arrears.
The City provides tax grants for new development and significant renovation/upgrade for properties in business improvement areas, Downtown Hamilton (including James Street North and South), and around the airport, that waives increased property tax payments resulting from increased assessment value resulting from improvements. The grant is 100 per cent of the increase in Year One, 75 per cent in Year Two, 50 per cent in Year Three, and 25 per cent in Year Four.
For redevelopment along Barton Street East and Kenilworth Avenue North commercial corridors, the grant is enhanced over a ten year period. This grant is 100 per cent of the increase for Years One to Five, 80 per cent in Year Six, 60 per cent in Year Seven, 40 per cent in Year 8, and 20 per cent in Year Nine.
The City has not provided a rationale for the change.
Police Board Seeks Share of Traffic Ticket Revenue
The Hamilton Police Service Board wants the City of Hamilton to provide more funding for “direct court attendance, and public safety costs are borne by the Hamilton Police Service” for conducting traffic enforcement.
The Board wants the City to provide revenue share for Provincial Offences Act tickets issued by police.
“While POA revenues are retained by the municipality, many of the direct enforcement, court attendance, and public safety costs are borne by HPS. This creates an ongoing funding imbalance that places additional pressure on the police operating budget.”
Federal Funding for Homeless Veterans
Council will formally accept federal funding in the amount of $250,000 annually for three years to assist veterans who are homeless. The City states there are 24 homeless individuals in the City’s ‘by-name list’ who self-identify as veterans.
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Published: January 13, 2026
Last updated: January 13, 2026
Author: Joey Coleman
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v. 1.0.0 original version