Dear Neighbour,

I hope you had a chance to rest and reflect on what you are grateful for this past long weekend. I was grateful for a weekend with my family, walking in forests, admiring mushrooms, feathers on the ground, the changing leaves, the sparkle of water, and all the gifts nature offers.

I couldn’t help but connect those precious moments to the critical and important decision facing Council about urban boundary expansion, the need to preserve farmland and protect environmentally rich and sensitive areas from development. The special General Issues Committee focused on growth related development has been rescheduled for Tuesday, November 9th at 9:30am.

Below are this week’s updates from Council, engagement opportunities and vaccine clinic locations in #OurWard3.

Yours in Community,

Nrinder Nann
Ward 3 City Councillor

Encampment Response Update

Yesterday at Council we received an update on a recent application for a Superior Court injunction that would stop the enforcement of some encampments in Hamilton.

Enforcement doesn’t solve homelessness, only housing does.

In fact, more people are living in encampments today than there were in August before the previous Encampment Protocol was repealed by the majority of Council during an at the whim meeting. We have more sites with more tents than before. And yesterday, staff confirmed there is in fact not enough shelter beds, supports nor housing to safely transition each person currently living in tents. There remains a chronic shortage for women, non-binary and trans residents for emergency housing. And forcing residents living in encampments to move from site to site impairs their health, breaks trust with outreach workers working to address their needs, and literally shortens their life expectancy.

No one wants encampments. Everyone deserves a safe and dignified place to live. And, we need each level of government to invest and work together with our social housing partners to eradicate homelessness. We also need the provincial government to unlock the COVID-19 specific surplus of $5B to help adequately address the health needs of those living in tents.

My focus is on solutions and working directly to address and understand the root causes of homelessness in our communities. It's important that we all talk about it with our families, children and neighbours. The recent release of the book, Shelter: Homelessness in Our Community is an important new resource that addresses these layers. The Ward 3 team is eagerly working on a virtual community reading and discussion for us to share, learn and build community together. If you want to help us plan the event, email us at ward3@hamilton.ca.

In the meantime,you can request to borrow a copy from the Hamilton Public Library via both ebook and in print at the Barton Branch or Book Mobile.

Free Mums Show 2021 at the Gage Park Greenhouses - October 22 to 31, 2021

Yesterday, Council approved free entry to the 2021 Mums Show. Due to public health guidelines to deter the spread of COVID-19, the show will not have a vendor portion nor interactive kids activities but it will feature the stellar work of the City’s Horticulture team displays. I was proud to tag team the motion for free access with Councillor Tom Jackson who shares a deep appreciation of this uplifting annual event hosted by the city.

Online booking starts today: https://www.hamilton.ca/attractions/festivals-events/hamilton-fall-garden-mum-show

Incentive Grants Transformed and Private Equity Firms Need not apply

As a response to the economic downturn of the 90s, Hamilton created incentive grants to spur investment and contribute to better and healthier prospects for areas hardest hit in our city.

In recent years, some applicants engaged in displacing residents and good small businesses who employed local neighbours. The tactics endured by neighbours expressed by numerous residents who delegated to GIC include being offered buyouts, not responding to pest and maintenance issues, limiting rent payment options, vacating the properties and then performing aesthetic renovations to justify drastic rent increases. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate building owners beautifying our streetscapes, but it does not have to result in heightening stress, displacing people, leaving them no option but to live in substandard housing, and rendering some homeless. That should not be the price of beauty. And such a callous drive for profit definitely shouldn’t be subsidized with public funds!

Thanks to the advocacy of ACORN Hamilton, the focus of these grants has been changed by Council (see here) and are much more explicitly tied to delivering affordable housing.

2022 Additional Budget Delegation Day

In an effort to increase resident opportunities to have their say in the City’s budgeting process, I moved to add an additional day for delegations at General Issues Committee which was ratified at Council yesterday.

The first delegation day has been scheduled for the November 8, 2021 GIC meeting.

The second delegation day for this budget process is expected to take place in February 2022.

Residents interested in the City’s 2022 budget process can monitor the City’s website for budget-focused GIC meetings, which are streamed via the City's website, the City's YouTube channel or via www.Cable14.com. Residents can also submit a delegation request.

LRT Update: Upcoming Building Demolitions | Hamilton LRT Corridor

As the project gets back on track, Metrolinx is providing regular updates and outreach to neighbours living near the seven properties scheduled for demolition in November and December.

"In the coming years, these properties will be required for station stops, infrastructure, and widening to accommodate the future LRT right of way.” In the meantime, the sites will be fenced in and monitored by security.

See Metrolinx’s full update here. If you have any questions regarding these properties, email hamilton@metrolinx.com or call 905-521-1003

Vaccine Clinics in Ward 3

Please see below for upcoming clinics. For the most updated list, please visit hamilton.ca/GetYourVaccine.

October 15, 10 am to 12 pm & 1 to 3 pm

Pinky Lewis Recreation Centre

192 Wentworth St. N., Hamilton, L8L 5V7

First & second dose: walk-in

Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccine available

October 16, 12 to 3 pm

Hamilton Public Library, Barton Branch

571 Barton St. E., Hamilton, L8L 2Z4

Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine

First or second dose: walk-in

Questions or support: 905-526-0000

October 17, 10 am to 12 pm & 1 to 3 pm

Bernie Morelli Recreation Centre

876 Cannon St. E., L8L 0C6

First & second dose: walk-in

Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccine available

October 20 & 27, 11 am to 2 pm

Mission Services

196 Wentworth St. N.

(use Good Food Centre/Community Services entrance)

First & second dose: walk-in

Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccine available

Ward 3 Complete Streets Review Update

Safer street design, speeding and cut through traffic remains one of the highest concerns for neighbours in our ward. Tragically, a neighbour recently passed away due to a collision at the intersection of Maplewood Avenue and Balsam Avenue South on September 30th. As the investigation is finalized, I will be taking action to make the area safer for the community.

Public Works staff are still preparing to launch our Ward 3 Complete Streets Review. Due to a large staff turnover, the project was delayed this summer. This comprehensive review of all neighbourhood roadways will build on the extensive outreach performed and feedback received from Ward 3 residents to date. The project team will be proposing measures to enhance safety and livability along the residential and collector roads Ward wide to be implemented in part through investments of the Ward 3 Area Rated Discretionary funds for capital infrastructure.

More information will be available soon, including ways that you can get involved in shaping the outcomes of this important project.

Placemaking Grant Pilot Program - applications open

The Fall application intake is open for the Placemaking Grant Pilot Program until December 10, 2021.

Made possible from a $100K donation from the Patrick J. McNally Charitable Foundation, the Placemaking Grant Program will fund community-led placemaking projects that temporarily animate public spaces. Visit hamilton.ca/PlacemakingGrant for placemaking resources and application details.

Our Ward 3 News for October 14th, 2021