It is a light agenda for the January meeting of Hamilton’s autonomous Board of Health.
The item of greatest note is an amendment to the 2026 Public Health budget to reduce the tax levy increase back to 4.5 per cent from the 5.7 per cent the Board approved in December. This budget amendment motion is the final item in the agenda.
The meeting is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. and will be livestreamed on YouTube.
2026 Public Health Budget
During December’s meeting, the Board of Health voted to reject significant user fee increases recommended by Public Health managers for special events, food, and other inspections. The Board instead voted to increase user fees by an inflationary 3.6 per cent.
The loss of this expected revenue means the 2026 Public Health budget will require a 5.7 per cent levy increase. Now, a month later, there is a motion to lower the levy increase back to the 4.5 per cent levy rate it would have been with the proposed fee increases.
The motion does not state where the funds to lower the levy are being drawn from.
Public Health Board Code of Conduct
The Board is expected to formally appoint the City of Hamilton’s Integrity Commissioner as the Board of Health’s IC, and to formally accept the City of Hamilton’s Code of Conduct.
The importance of this vote to the Board of Health is that they are signifying their independence from City Council.
Delegated Authority to Accept Grants and Higher Level of Government Funding
The Board will vote on a policy change that will give the Medical Officer of Health authority to accept and allocate new grant funding from higher levels of government, without first requiring Board of Health approval.
The goal of this policy change is to ensure the City of Hamilton can apply for and receive grants, especially on short deadlines, without the delay of waiting for monthly Board of Health meetings to obtain formal approval.
Endorsement of the Future of Immunization Report
The Board of Health is expected to formally endorse the efforts of Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health to improve vaccination rates as articulated in the CMOH’s 2024 annual report The Future of Immunization in Ontario.
The report contains six key recommendations that Hamilton’s Board of Health is seeking to endorse, including the creation of a centralized immunization information system “to make it easier for people to check their immunization history,” more vaccination information campaigns, and investing in research and manufacturing of vaccines domestically.
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Published: January 26, 2026
Last updated: January 26, 2026
Author: Joey Coleman
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