Cycling Enhancements, Summer Activities & Student Victory

Dear Neighbour,

I hope this blog post finds you and your loved ones safe, well and enjoying the first week of summer.

Scroll for updates from Council and important information for Ward 3 residents.

As always, please email my office at Ward3@Hamilton.ca if we can be of service.

Yours in community,
Nrinder Nann
Ward 3 City Councillor 

Student Lives Matter - Black Lives Matter

Young people from across Hamilton have been voicing concerns about the Student Resource Officer program for years. Their experiences, especially those of Indigenous and Black students have been telling. At Monday’s HWDSB meeting, a motion tabled by Ward 3 Trustee Maria Felix Miller to terminate the program and to find a successful means of investing in student success with partners rooted in local communities passed.

HWDSB is not the first school board to hear concerns and criticism of the program. In 2017 the Toronto District Schoolboard voted to cancel their SRO program after concerns were raised by students, parents and teachers alike. And the last week alone there have been similar conversations in Edmonton and Vancouver.

While Trustees deliberated on Monday, student organizers, including many young Ward 3 leaders, came together to stage a sit-in on Main Street and observe the board meeting together - democracy in action.

At the sit in, current and former students shared powerful stories about their experiences with the program, racial profiling by police and their ideas for more effective, youth-centred solutions while also chanting and dancing in the rain. It was incredibly moving to observe the ways that organizers and supporters took care of each other during the sit-in.

The kids are alright. 

“This has always been a call to action to hear from our most vulnerable and acknowledge their experiences. But it is also a call to imagine a different possibility,” - Ward 3 HWDSB Trustee, Maria Felix Miller

Fire at Mr. Used

It was an incredibly hot day last Friday, when I received the call from Fire Chief, Dave Cunliffe about a multiple alarm fire at the old Mr. Used location on Barton Street.

My team quickly circulated Public Health guidelines for residents concerned about smoke inhalation and confirmed that HSR buses were on standby at the scene, in case of evacuation. There were reports online that a number of unhoused residents had sought refuge in the building however, Fire has confirmed that no one was in the building during the fire.

It took 14 crews, serious excavation and over 24 hours to completely extinguish the fire that has left a gap in the skyline.

The work of our Fire Department is remarkable. Heavy flames, hot weather and thick smoke all day on the job, we are all so grateful for their work and for Box 43, the volunteer fire association refreshment and rehab truck which stayed on scene to make sure workers were hydrated and fed. 

Many residents have shared nostalgic accounts and their interesting items from Mr. Used. ’

As we wait for a report on the source of the fire, and the intentions of the owner, I am asking: What happens when a property this size is leveled? How can we ensure public safety around the site? How can we turn this unfortunate situation into an opportunity that truly serves the community?

Stay tuned, my office will share updates.

Birch Ave. Green Space

Over the past seven years, volunteers have been building a pollinator paradise on the west side of Birch Ave. N of Barton St. I applaud the way residents have worked together to foster a healthy, naturalized area in our Ward 3. My office has awarded the GALA community planning team a grant to support the completion of a self-sustaining pollinator garden for all to enjoy.

If you have a project idea which will serve our Ward 3, contact my office.

Let’s Get Growing Success!

Through a partnership with Environment Hamilton, we have supported over 100 residents to obtain seeds to grow edible plants at home. With such success, the Let’s Get Growing in Ward 3 program will be back in Spring 2021.

Mobility Plan - Cycling Enhancements

Through the pandemic, I have heard from many residents that cycling is their preferred mode of transportation for physical distancing, health and recreation. Council approved investing in enhanced cycling infrastructure that delivers more safe and protected lanes for everyone. 

In Ward 3, we will see safety improvements to existing cycle tracks on Lawrence Rd. & Gage Ave, including physical separations. Also on the docket is completion of the Cannon Cycle Track between Sherman Ave. and the stadium, and a new multi-use path on Victoria Ave. between Cannon and Barton to provide better connectivity.

Upcoming Events & Activities

Canada Day On July 1st at 7:00pm, the City of Hamilton will host a virtual Canada Day Celebration at 7pm on CHCH and online at CHCH.com. The broadcast will include performances by the Hamilton Children’s Choir, Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra, Harrison Kennedy and Queen Cee as well as Polaris Prize nominated Terra Lightfoot and JUNO award winners Tom Wilson and The Dirty Nil.

Rec at Home Beginning the week of July 6, City staff will start to distribute activity kits to take home in select parks. The kits will include games and activities that children can take and do at home. There will also be related content, including videos on the website prior to the launch each week.

Opening of some City Pools Also beginning the week of July 6, some city pools, including Jimmy Thompson Memorial Pool will be opened, in addition to splashpads, which were opened last week.

Please visit the recreation section of the City’s website for a full listing and schedules.

COVID19 Transit Service Updates

As of Monday, June 22nd, masks are required on all public transit, including HSR DARTS & TRANSCAB, exceptions are made for children under two years of age & those who are unable to remove their own mask.

A reminder that fare collection will resume on July 1st 2020. To renew your bus pass, load your presto card and purchase tickets, please visit the HSR section of the City’s website.

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If you have events or volunteer opportunities you would like the Ward 3 office to get the word out on, please email ward3@hamilton.ca.

Do you have any photos you are proud of from across the ward?

Share your favourite #OurWard3 photos with me by either sending them to ward3@hamilton.ca or by using the hashtag #OurWard3 on social media!

Black Lives Matter, Hamilton Bike Share & More

Dear Neighbour,

Our office continues to prioritize communication with you through social media, community update mail outs and now directly to your email inbox.

These regular emails will include updates from Council, projects in the Ward and matters raised by residents.

Yours in community,
Nrinder Nann
Ward 3 City Councillor 

Black Lives Matter.

The whole world has witnessed the murder of George Floyd at the hands of police violence in Minneapolis, MN. The ongoing accounts of excessive force by police continue as people have taken to the streets peacefully with their grief and demands for justice. 

Regionally, thousands are also demanding truth and accountability for the death of young Black adults facing mental health crises. Regis Korchinski-Paquet, 29 years old, died after falling from her family balcony after Toronto police told her family to leave the apartment and she was alone with police officers. D’Andre Campbell, 26 years old, was shot to death in Peel when he called the police for help during a mental health crisis. The Special Investigative Unit is currently investigating both cases.

Over a 17-year window in Canada, the number of people dying during encounters with police has steadily increased. Black and Indigenous people are disproportionately more likely to face deadly encounters with police compared to their population size. In some cities, Black residents are twenty times more likely to be killed by police than those racialized as white. All while thousands of cases of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls go unresolved.

Here in Hamilton, many residents have called for the defunding of police. This past week, I have received up to 50 emails per day from residents supporting this call.

We are all being asked to contemplate: what is the future of policing?

Important questions stemming from the Independent Review Into The Events Surrounding Hamilton Pride (report released on June 8th, 2020) also suggests policy level and service level changes are required for policing to be more effective in combating hate based activity and incidents.

Data shows that crime rates go down when neighbourhoods have better schools, adequate parks and green space to freely congregate and play, access to well paying jobs along every commercial corridor, adequate multi-modal transit options, robust social support services and adequate housing in place. Communities are safer and healthier when we invest in them. 

Real population outcomes are possible when we have teams of responsive crisis intervention workers rooted in centring the needs of those experiencing a crisis. It is that much more effective when these services are steeped in best practices of community building and when the workers have trust-worthy relationships in a neighbourhood. These community crisis intervention approaches resource teams to be available to residents in times of personal crisis. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed how much more we need to invest cross-sectorally in our city. Especially so when it comes to mental health, addiction and housing. 

Should police be the providers of wellness checks? 

Would it not be better to right size essential police services to focus on investigating homicides, the proliferation of guns and illegal drugs, property theft, vehicular traffic violations and other core policing business instead?

These are not easy questions to respond to. I am certainly learning a lot quickly also. And I encourage you to consider these important questions also, with an open mind and not hardened old stances. 

And from the countless conversations I have had with residents over these weeks, Hamiltonians expect zero incidents of police brutality, zero incidents of anti-black and anti-indigenous racism. Residents also expect accountability when bias has impaired the judgement of officers to the point of causing death. And all residents deserve services that deliver protection and safety.

In this historical moment, and while contending with the COVID-19 pandemic, it is clear there is no going back to “normal” and we must build a better way forward. 

If you would like to learn more on this topic check out these resources:
White Fragility Robin DiAngelo (Link to HPL)
Policing Black Lives - Robyn Maynard
The End of Policing - Alex S. Vitale
Divest from Police, Invest in Communities - Anthony Morgan
Are we ready to talk about defunding the police? - Alok Mukherjee
Defund Police? Dismantle Them? What Then? - Crawford Kilian
Defunding Will Save Black And Indigenous Lives In Canada - Sandy Hudson

Long Live Hamilton Bike Share!

On June 3rd, World Cycling Day, Hamilton City Council voted unanimously to keep our beloved blue bikes rolling as an essential mode of transportation for our residents. The World Health Organization recommends cycling as the best way to maintain physical distancing while travelling for essential services. And in Hamilton, many workers use SoBi to commute to and from work in every field of work including our health care sector.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, over 600 Hamiltonians became new subscribers, joining the over 27,000 others. 

Though my initial motion to allocate discretionary reserve funds from Ward 1, 2 and 3 to provide a stop gap solution to buy some time for staff to put together a long term operations plan and to have Hamilton Bike Share Inc operate it for the interim was lost on a tie vote, Council reconsidered it on Wed June 3rd accepting $400K in donations from residents, businesses, organizations and the McNally Foundation instead.

It is important to remember, no one wanted to be in this position. And the only reason we were is because Uber unilaterally decided to cancel their contract obligations with the City to operate it.

Jay Keddy Trail 

Last Wednesday, Council also approved funding of the Jay Keddy Access Trail which will serve as the City’s first dedicated cycle track up and down the Escarpment. This mixed pedestrian and cycling trail will help foster active living, physical connectivity and shared experiences among the lower city and escarpment neighbourhoods. Looking forward to seeing the final design and implementation.The trail is named in honour of Prince of Wales Elementary kindergarten teacher Jay Keddy who was tragically killed cycling on the Claremount Access in 2015

Wheelchair Swing

Gage Park is home to the city’s first wheelchair swing!

Thank you to Rebecca Shae for her advocacy in helping make this swing a reality for our neighbours who rely on wheelchairs. I look forward to seeing this swing in use once the emergency orders closing all play structures are lifted.

Yardshare in Ward 3

An exciting and much needed resident-led initiative supported by my office. The goal of the program is to increase food security and decrease the length of the food chain.

If you are a Ward 3 resident interested in learning more or getting involved, please see the facebook page or email: yardshareinward3@gmail.com

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If you have events or volunteer opportunities you would like the Ward 3 office to get the word out on, please email ward3@hamilton.ca.

Do you have any photos you are proud of from across the ward?

Share your favourite #OurWard3 photos with me by either sending them to ward3@hamilton.ca or by using the hashtag #OurWard3 on social media!