2023 Budget, Infrastructure Investments, City Housing, CTS, Community Engagement
Dear Neighbours,
Ramadan Mubark to all our Muslim neighbours. May this month of Ramadan bring all much needed sense of community, joy, and peace.
Spring has finally sprung and with it comes the annual neighbourhood clean ups coordinated by the Beautiful Alleys teams. If you would like to sign up and participate this year, please see participation options here
This time of year, as the snow melts, the weather warms, and the wind picks up, my office tends to get an increase in reports of potholes and garbage around the ward. You can report any of these issues by calling 905-546-CITY (2489). Potholes can also be reported by email to roadsnorth@hamilton.ca. Please be sure to provide details on location, approximate size, and any other important details.
With regard to garbage, a reminder that homeowners are responsible for cleaning and maintaining their properties (this includes garbage that may blow onto it). If you have concerns about garbage on private property, please send an email to mle@hamilton.ca. If the garbage is on public property, you can report it to wasteenforcement@hamilton.ca to have it logged to the appropriate parties for cleanup.
This newsletter provides many updates on the 2023 Budget, items from Council and Committee, safer streets and staircase closures, Ward 3 award winners, and many events coming up in our neighbourhoods.
I am looking forward to spending more time outside with my family, enjoying the warmer and longer days. I hope you’re able to do the same.
Yours in Community,
Nrinder Nann
Spring photo of City Hall with yellow, orange, and purple tulips out front. Transparent white box in centre with navy text reads "Council & Committee Updates"
2023 Budget
Over the past three months, Council has received some very sobering news as it relates to the reality of financial pressures facing all households across Hamilton. There is a widespread reality that many are approaching being one paycheque away from losing housing or an inability to cover all cost of living expenses.
The Mayor asked staff to come up with a package of financial adjustments to reduce the 2023 budget tax impact from 6.7% to just under 6%. This motion preserves all of the important investments we are making in the people of Hamilton, and through some creative and thoughtful solutions, offers a more manageable increase to our constituents.
I supported the motion and am glad we are protecting the advancements necessary to help address the deep housing and health needs across our neighbourhoods. Some key investments this Budget provides are:
An increase of 30% in the City’s housing budget over 2022 levels to $70.1 million, making addressing the housing crisis one of the City’s top investments
Enhancements to critical services and supports for our aging and growing population. Such as: paramedic services, climate change initiatives, and supporting the most vulnerable in our communities
Investments to address our ageing infrastructure and roads as well as, transit improvements totaling $3.3 million, which includes 49,000 hours of additional service
The 2023 Budget has now been ratified by Council. For further highlights on what this budget will address you can go here.
Infrastructure Investments
Council ratified two of my motions to Public Works Committee this session that will see infrastructure investment into two Ward 3 parks.
At Powell Park, we will install a second net to complete the basketball court, as well as a fence behind it to protect pedestrians using the walkway. This used to be a complete court and was well used by local youth, until the second net was removed in the 90s. Staff anticipate being able to install this over the coming months. I will share an updated timeline as soon as I have it.
At Birge Park we will see the installation of a permanent water source. This will allow residents to easily water the community gardens in the summer, and volunteers will use the water to create a community rink in the winter.
Updates Regarding Temporary Shelters in Ward 3
At the March 23 Emergency and Community Services Committee we heard from Housing Services staff on the state of shelters and housing in our City. In order to temporarily meet the growing housing needs in the short term while staff work to right size shelter services and build/repair units toward the 10-year goal of eliminating homelessness, they recommended and Council ratified the following:
The temporary shelter at 378 Main St E remain open until May 31, 2023 at the latest. Intakes have already ceased, and as Arkledun units are ready and available, residents and staff will be moving over to that location. May 31 is the absolute last day the shelter will be open
A temporary shelter be opened at 46 West Ave S for up to 20 unsheltered single women and non-binary individuals to address additional emergency system pressures. This shelter will be open until March 31, 2024.
My office requested that Housing Services host a Community Information Meeting ahead of ECS Committee so residents could ask questions about this recommendation. At the meeting, Good Shepherd confirmed that there is no plan for the use of the space at 378 Main St E once the shelter is decommissioned. They also confirmed that there will be security in place at that location to prevent trespassing. Additionally, they committed to security, including patrols, around 46 West Ave S.
City Housing Hamilton
City Council is the Shareholder of City Housing Hamilton (CHH) and approved my motion to fund bringing 476 vacant units back online through repairs. In the March 10th e-newsletter, I shared that as President of CHH, I moved a motion at the Board of Directors to tackle the maintenance backlog with Councillor Kroetsch as the seconder. This investment in addressing the state of good repair has no tax levy impact to residents of our City. The total investment is $5.7M to repair these units and have them all occupied by December 2024.
I will bring forward a funding motion to General Issues Committee in April to do this important work, and create more quality, safe and affordable housing for our residents.
Chedoke Update
March 3, 2023, the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) amended their Order related to the Chedoke Creek Remediation. The amendment required that the City complete the in-water targeted dredging work on or before August 31, 2023.
Following the amendment, City staff had further discussions about that deadline and our ability to meet it. As a result of this meeting, the Ministry extended the deadline to October 31, 2023 to complete the remediation work and staff is confident that they can meet this date.
CTS at 746 Barton St. E
On March 14, 2023, I sent a letter to The AIDS Network’s (TAN) Board of Directors to ensure shared understanding of the motion I brought forward at the Feb 22nd Council meeting. That motion amended the Board of Health’s endorsement of 746 Barton St E for TAN’s application to the Ministry of Health for a CTS to include a caveat for robust community engagement including a clear plan and process to address neighbourhood impacts.
Hamilton Public Health staff have also met with TAN staff to learn more about their plans while also offering support. I will keep residents posted as I receive further updates.
Photos from left to right are of waste collection bins, pedestrians walking in a crosswalk, a water sampling station, and the Wentworth Stairs. Transparent white box in centre with navy text reads "City Service Update"
Safer Streets & Pedestrian Crossings
We will continue to implement recommendations from the Ward 3 Complete Streets review this spring with the installation of 12 speed humps across the ward. More locations will follow in fall 2023.
I have also submitted a Notice of Motion for safety enhancements at the Maple/Ottawa intersection. This intersection is one that many families use to get to school each day, and is one with limited visibility and will benefit from safety enhancements. As this borders on Ward 4, Councillor Hwang and I have worked together to direct funds to the implementation of an intersection pedestrian signal (IPS) at this location.
Wentworth Staircase Closures
The Wentworth Stairs (between the Sherman Access and Concession St.) will be closed due to road reconstruction work along Mountain Park Ave, until a projected completion date in October. The lower portion at the Rail Trail entrance at Charlton Ave to the Sherman Access, a popular destination for exercise and commuting, access will remain open.
The Ward 3 office acknowledges this is a loss of a vital active transportation link between Ward 3 residents and the mountain, some who commute to the hospital and other places of work on Concession Street. We have flagged this for staff and will provide any updates we receive.
Waste Collection Change: Residents on South Side of Cannon St. E between Sherman Ave N and Wentworth St. N
There is a waste collection change for residents that live on the south side of Cannon St. E between Sherman Ave N. and Wentworth St. N.
If you are a resident that lives in this area, your waste collection day changed from a Tuesday to a Wednesday effective March 22nd, 2023.
Waste Management is making this change to streamline waste collection services and to better align staffing and equipment resources to provide efficient service to these residents.
A letter has been mailed to those residents affected, and staff have visited each property to provide a door knocker as a secondary outreach measure to ensure residents are aware of the change. If any residents have questions around this change, or waste collection for the area, please email: wastemanagement@hamilton.ca.
Water Sampling Stations: 2023 Installations
Hamilton Water conducts routine monitoring of our water distribution system to meet regulatory requirements for contents such as chlorine, residual, and microbiological in order to assess water quality.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, challenges were encountered with respect to accessing existing sampling locations within buildings. To allow for a more representative sample and reduce access concerns Hamilton Water has increased its use of sampling stations.
This year, Hamilton Water will be installing water sampling stations on the following streets in Ward 3:
Mars Ave
Clinton St
Dunsmure Rd
For more information, please visit: https://www.hamilton.ca/home-neighbourhood/water-wastewater-stormwater/water-treatment-distribution/drinking-water-0
Left: photo of Easter eggs with designs in a basket Right: photo of woman volunteering in a community clean up. Transparent white box in centre with navy text reads "Community Engagement & Events".
Children’s Garden Project - Little Planters Series: Let’s Start Growing Workshops
Registration is now open for the FREE and FUN Little Planters Workshops happening on April 1st, 2023 at the Gage Park Tropical Greenhouse starting at 9:30am. For more information or to register, please visit the Children’s Garden Project EventBrite page.
Annual Ottawa Street Bunny Hop: Saturday April 8 from 11am - 2pm
Spring into action and head down to Ottawa Street North for a hopping good time! They will have crafting for kids, free face painting and most importantly, an egg hunt with local businesses. Look for the felt bunny in participating businesses windows, and enter for a treat (while supplies last). Rain or shine, can't wait to see you there! Event page with more information can be found here.
Germania Club Annual Easter Egg Hunt - April 8 at 12pm (noon)
Enjoy refreshments, lunch, and an egg-cellent afternoon at Germania Club Park located on Lake Niapenko in Binbrook! Cost is $8 per child and includes a light lunch, drink, Easter goodies, and children’s craft table. Registration by April 1st is required. To register, please call Anna Fischer at 905-549-0513.
Beautiful Alleys and Neighbourhood Clean Ups - April 23rd 9am to 1pm
Join in on April 22nd from 9am to 1pm to help Keep Hamilton Clean and Green! Pick an alley or join a team. Meet up at one of the central locations across #OurWard3 or start in your own backyard. For more information, visit the Facebook Page.
Exploring Inclusionary Zoning as an Affordable Housing Tool
The City of Hamilton is exploring the feasibility of adopting a tool known as Inclusionary Zoning to help increase the supply of affordable housing locally.
Inclusionary Zoning requires new market rate residential development or redevelopment within a Protected Major Transit Station Area (PMTSA) to include a certain percentage of new affordable housing units. The City is currently planning for 20 PMTSA’s in the lower city, which include 17 LRT stations, and 3 GO stations. These also include the LRT stations along the King St. E corridor between Ottawa St. and Wellington St. in Ward 3.
Before a municipality can adopt an Inclusionary Zoning policy framework, the Province requires municipalities to conduct a detailed assessment of the potential impacts Inclusionary Zoning may have on the overall housing market within the City.
The City of Hamilton has created a Consultation on Housing Needs Assessment Draft Report & Addendum Letter for residents to provide feedback on by May 31st, 2023. You can access the draft report and provide your feedback here.
For more information on how Inclusionary Zoning works in Ontario and the other project components required, please visit: www.engage.hamilton.ca/inclusionaryzoning.
City of Hamilton is Hiring Summer Students!
Want to work at the City of Hamilton this summer? We’re hiring for summer student positions in Parks, Recreation, Museums and more. For more info and to apply, please visit http://hamilton.ca/summerjobs
Photo of a group of people smiling and clapping their hands. Transparent white box in centre with navy text reads "Community Recognition"
Hamilton Heritage Awards: Exciting News for Ward 3!
This year marks the 14th annual Hamilton Municipal Heritage Committee (HMHC) Heritage Recognition Awards. As a Ward, we want to congratulate this year’s award recipients, and celebrate the significant contributions of property owners, educators, developers and volunteers in the conservation of Hamilton’s heritage.
In particular, we would like to recognize and congratulate all of the award recipients in Ward 3 for highlighting our ward’s strength and resiliency.
Here is a list of the Ward 3 award recipients:
Indwell for The Oaks
16 West (280 Main St. E.)
Cataract Power / Factory Media Centre
Woodlands Park: Ghost Landscape
The Friends of St. Giles
Green Venture De-Pave on Barton
Vivian Chang — student artist at Bernie Custis (colouring book illustration work)
DR Masonry for Laidlaw Memorial restoration work — also based in the Ward at 20 Lloyd St.
Schubert Traditional Craftwork for 33 Ontario Ave.
You can see the full list of winners from across the city, and read more about the HMCH Heritage Recognition Awards here.
Congratulations to Vanessa Memeh, Ward 3 Student at Cathedral Highschool!
Vanessa Memeh, a Ward 3 student in grade 12 at Cathedral highschool, has recently been named a Loran Scholar and is making history as one of 36 students nationwide to receive this award out of a total of 4,800 applicants.
The Loran Scholarship is Canada’s largest, and most comprehensive scholarship that is granted to young people on the basis of their character, commitment to service in their community, and their leadership potential.
Vanessa has been a member of Cathedral Student Council and the Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School board Anti-Racism Committee. She also chairs the Cathedral Gael Guides, a committee that organizes events to build school spirit and plans initiatives to bridge the gap between International students; is on the school’s Media Team, is a past volunteer at St. Ann’s Parish, holds a part-time job, is a Youth Advisor for People for Education and Content Collaborator for UpstartEd, and volunteers with the ArcelorMittal Dofasco soccer program.
Congratulations Vanessa! We look forward to seeing you continue to shine brightly!
Please join me in congratulating Vanessa on this incredible achievement!