Craig's Current - November 2024

November has been another busy month at City Hall. In this issue of Craig’s Current, you will find articles about the upcoming 2025 tax-supported budget and the 2025 Water budget process currently underway. New for 2025 is an opportunity for the public to participate in the tax budget process via an online tool that you can find more about below. You can read about (and watch!) a webinar I recently gave on urban boundary expansions and how the City wants your input on evaluating those applications. There’s much, much more; however, we’ll start this issue with another update on housing in Hamilton. 

But before you dig in, I’ll let you know that you can expect to see my Mid-Term Update show up in your physical mailboxes in December, if the Canada Post strike gets resolved in time.  

Housing is a top priority for Hamilton and addressing it requires a comprehensive, integrated, and ‘whole of Hamilton’ approach involving infrastructure, transit, and social supports. On November 20, Hamilton’s Housing Secretariat presented the annual report on the City’s Housing Sustainability and Investment Roadmap as approved by this term of Council in April 2023. It outlines four pillars of activity to respond to the growing housing crisis the City is facing:  

1) New construction; 

2) Acquisition of at-risk rental housing; 

3) Preservation of existing affordable housing; and 

4) Increasing the supply of housing with supports.  

Here are some highlights from the 2024 annual report: 

• Successful renovation and occupation of 476 Rent-Geared-to-Income units by City Housing Hamilton (currently 83% complete, on track for total completion by end of 2024).  

• Creation and implementation of the Affordable Housing Development Project Stream enabling accelerated project approval and funding opportunities for affordable and supportive housing projects. To date, the Project Stream has held three quarterly intake rounds for applications, receiving a total of 42 eligible submissions, currently representing 2,576 potential units.  

• Municipal contributions have been approved to fund the construction of approximately 885 units, pending the finalization of agreements.  

• Launch of the application process for the Federal Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF) in May 2024. The HAF is a $93.5 million allocation over four years from the federal government to support the creation of 2,675 housing units across the housing continuum.  

• Creation of the Finance and Acquisition Action Plan with a focus on the purchase of at-risk affordable private rental housing.  

• Development and ongoing implementation of a comprehensive and collaborative government relations action plan, communications and engagement plan, aimed at enhancing advocacy and engagement on the Roadmap.  

• In June 2024, Habitat for Humanity completed two new townhomes donated by New Horizons Development for affordable home ownership.  

• Approval of several by-laws aimed to protect tenants, as well as the preservation of affordable rental housing. 

You can learn more at Whole of Hamilton Housing Approach 

In early November, City Staff presented their initial outlook for the 2025 tax-supported budget. In summary, it projected a 6.9% increase, but that is just the beginning of the process. The Mayor has issued a directive for staff on how to prepare the budget prior to presenting it to Council in January. The key highlights of the directive include the following:  

• Consider the rapidly increasing cost of living and the impact on affordability 

• Provide Council options to balance the impact of tax increases with the need for multi-year investment in City infrastructure 

• Complete a thorough review of redundancies and efficiency opportunities to enable savings  

• Expand the 2025 Budget engagement process by incorporating and promoting online tools, enabling Hamiltonians to identify their priorities. (see the next article for more on this item) 

The key drivers of the 6.9% increase in the outlook are: 

• Increasing costs to maintain current municipal services 

• The phase-in of provincially legislated changes to the Development Charges Act  

• Investments in the following: Homelessness and Managing Encampments; 911 Call Centre in Waterdown; Paramedics Central Reporting Station; Expansion of Macassa Lodge (long-term care); and Main St. conversion to two-way traffic 

• Increasing cost for capital financing as Hamilton invests in infrastructure renewal. Provincial Asset Management legislation now requires Cities to invest adequately in their assets preventing the chronic underinvestment from past decades that was undertaken to keep tax increases low. This item alone makes up 3.61% (over half!) of the initial 6.9% increase. 

It's also important to point out that although the recovery efforts resulting from the cybersecurity incident were absorbed in the 2024 budget, the financial impact of building back better and stronger has not been included in this outlook and will be introduced in January.  

The first tax budget meeting is on January 23, 2025, and I expect the process to be complete by the end of February. I will provide a detailed recap at that time.  

Balancing the City’s operating budget is a legislative requirement, and with a new online tool, Hamilton residents can gain a clearer understanding of how the 2025 financial plan is shaped. This interactive platform allows you to explore the budget process, share your ideas on how City funds should be spent, set priorities, see the impact of your choices, and understand the trade-offs. 

You are invited and encouraged to provide feedback on the 2025 City of Hamilton Budget. Citizen input is essential, so please share your insights and feedback! Try out the simulator at Engage Hamilton/budget 

On November 22, Hamilton’s Water Division presented the 2025 Water, Wastewater and Stormwater Budget to Council. The budget reflects the reality that much of Hamilton’s water infrastructure is very old and needs replacement and that we also need to prepare for the forecasted population growth.  A year ago, in the 10-year outlook, staff projected a roughly 10% increase for 2025 and have followed through with 9.95%. 

There are two parts to the budget: the operating dollars required to keep our systems running and maintained, and the capital spending required to upgrade or replace our infrastructure. The operating budget is actually flat to 2024 because staff have found $4.7M of efficiencies to offset rising operating costs. The rate increase is, therefore, due to the 10-year capital plan that outlines key investments in our water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure. Major capital projects include: 

1. Expansion of the Woodward Wastewater Treatment Plant - $445M, (2032 targeted completion) 

2. Upgrades to the Woodward Water Treatment Plant 

• Water Quality Upgrades and Lifecycle Renewal: $330M (2032 targeted completion)  

• Water Treatment Plant Capacity Expansion: $212M (2034 targeted completion) 

3. Upgrades to Dundas Wastewater Treatment Plant - $254M, (2033 targeted completion)

These projects are all critical to meet the needs of current and future residents. To balance the affordability for ratepayers, City staff have utilized reserves, debt financing, rate increases, and development charges (where permitted by legislation), along with ongoing efforts to secure funding from upper levels of government.  

Hamilton currently has one of the most affordable rates for water, wastewater and stormwater as shown in the graphic below. Note that the municipalities in purple have a separate charge for stormwater on their property tax bill, whereas the number for Hamilton includes stormwater.

Starting in January 2025, all Hamilton homeowners must declare their property’s occupancy status as part of the new Vacant Unit Tax (VUT) program. Note that your principal residence is exempt from the VUT, but you’ll still need to make the annual declaration.  

The City of Hamilton is instituting a VUT as one of the many measures to address Hamilton’s housing crisis. By creating a disincentive to allow units to remain vacant, the City aims to make more housing available for those who need it. The City will be charging an additional tax of 1% of a property’s assessed value on residential units that are vacant for more than 183 days in a year. The revenue generated from this tax will be reinvested into City programs to strengthen housing initiatives. 

Besides the principal residence exemption, there are several others as outlined below: 

Key Dates:  

• December 2024 – Letter with declaration instructions will be mailed to property owners  

• January 2025 – Declaration period begins   

• March 31, 2025 – Mandatory declaration deadline  

• April 1 to April 30, 2025 – Late mandatory declarations accepted with a fee  

• First week of June 2025 – VUT charges included in the final property tax bill  

• June 30, 2025 – First VUT payment due  

• July 2, 2025 – Complaint/appeal period begins  

• September 30, 2025 – Second VUT payment due 

Watch the City’s two-minute Vacant Unit Tax Explained video 

Learn more details in the City’s VUT communication update  

My office is here to help residents through this transition. If you have questions that aren’t answered by the information shared here, please reach out and we will assist you.  

Please help support Ancaster Community Service’s Holiday Assistance Program! ACS is supporting 125 families by collecting non-perishable food, toys, personal hygiene & household products along with monetary donations.  ACS is collecting gift items for their Holiday Hampers to ensure local income-challenged children and teenagers have a wonderful holiday season. You can select a specific gift request from the Holiday Tree of gift tags in the ACS lobby or donate a gift of your choice. 
 
Please drop off unwrapped gifts to ACS by Thursday, December 12^th at 300 Wilson St East. 
Give them a call at 905-648-6675, stop by the office, or visit their website for more information about ways to help. Ancaster Community Services – Holiday Assistance 

Owners of 140 Garner Rd E – home of the Garner Marsh - have withdrawn their application to the Hamilton Conservation Authority (HCA) for a permit to "move" the marsh making way for a 1.5 million square foot warehouse complex. This isn’t actually a positive development for the marsh because they promptly submitted a new application to the HCA. As you may already know, the Province recently amended the Conservation Authorities Act through Bill 23 which weakens the role of conservation authorities and their ability to protect our natural heritage and keep us safe from flooding. The new application will now be reviewed by HCA staff in the context of the updated legislation.  

The next HCA Board Meeting is scheduled for December 5, 2024, but that will likely be too soon for staff to have processed the new application. If it is denied, the owners are entitled to a Section 28 (appeal) hearing with the HCA which will be scheduled for a later date. Section 28 hearings are held quarterly in a closed session.  

The HCA's Board meetings are livestreamed on their YouTube Channel for all to watch. 

Please join the Save Our Streams Hamilton newsletter for updates on decisions and actions you can take to save Ancaster wetlands. 

In case you missed last week's webinar "Defending Hamilton's Firm Urban Boundary" with me and Phil Pothen, a lawyer from Environmental Defence, here is the recording!  

Hamilton has $3.8 Billion worth of unfunded maintenance and repairs for existing infrastructure: roads, bridges, recreation centres, libraries, streetlights, etc. and this deficit grows by $380 Million annually!  So aside from the loss of farmland and the weakening of our environmental and climate goals, urban expansion would significantly impact the wealth of the City and its residents as we’d be digging ourselves deeper into that $3.8 Billion hole. Please take a moment to watch the webinar, and attend the online City meeting to provide your feedback to the City.  

The City is working to urbanize Dickenson Road in Ward 11, which intersects Ward 12 at Glancaster Rd. Everyone is invited to attend an in-person public information meeting where Staff will present the background information, evaluation of designs, the recommended design, and next steps. This is your opportunity to provide input. 

Date: Wednesday, December 4, 2024 
Time: 6 to 8 pm 
Location: Mount Hope Community Hall, 3027 Homestead Drive, Mount Hope 

Learn more at Engage Hamilton – Dickenson Road 

November has been a very challenging month due to construction on Garner Rd requiring a full closure. The contractor’s projection of a one-week closure ballooned into four weeks as they encountered numerous challenges. The good news is that as of November 26, Garner Rd is NOW OPEN at Panabaker. Overall, the project is still tracking several months ahead of schedule because other phases of the project have progressed smoothly allowing the contractor to make up time against their plan.  

Key points about the opening of Garner Rd at Panabaker Dr: 

1. Westbound access has been restored along the full length of Garner Rd 

2. Two-way access between Wilson St and Fiddler's Green has been restored. While construction continues and leaves only one lane of road available for vehicles, a temporary traffic light has been installed just west of Panabaker to enable two-way traffic flow. 

3. Eastbound travel on Garner Rd ends at Fiddler's Green until Phase 2 of the project is completed. For timing, reference the link at the bottom of this article. 

4. In 2025, when the project moves on to the section between Panabaker and Fiddler's Green (Phase 3) anticipate that only westbound access will be available on that stretch of road. 

Here is a quick recap of this four-week part of the project:   

High levels of groundwater just west of Panabaker Rd required the installation of sheet piles. These metal 'walls' are a method of securing the integrity of the pits required to install the new trunk water main and ensure that the crews working in the excavated area are safe and not at risk of the walls of earth caving in on them. There would not be enough room to install sheet piles and maintain safe flow of traffic so there needed to be a full road closure. The contractor's estimated one-week closure was overly optimistic. They encountered repeated mechanical breakdowns, vibration concerns from adjacent property owners, the need to fully replace their installation equipment at one point, and several unproductive days due to site conditions, each of which slowed or stopped work for days at a time.   

I have had several meetings with the City's construction management leadership on the need to improve how unforeseen impacts are managed and communicated publicly, including better coordination with my office at the outset and throughout the process. The process will be improved in the future.

I had been providing daily social media updates on this portion of the project, but we will now transition back to the prior communication process via the City's interactive maps.  

Safety on rural roads is a real concern in Ward 12, with speeding and unsafe driving habits severely impacting rural residents. On December 2, at Public Works Committee, I will put forward two motions to begin the work needed to meaningfully address safety on rural roads:  

Hamilton Rural Road Safety Consulting Assignment for All Wards with Rural Roads (Wards 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15) 

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED: 

That the Transportation Division be authorized and directed to complete a jurisdictional scan and consulting assignment to review best practices and other available tools that could be effective in enhancing road safety for all road users on Hamilton’s rural roads and report back in Q3 2025. 

And  

Good Roads Letter of Support to Province For The Establishment Of An Ontario Rural Road Safety Program 

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED: 

That the City of Hamilton requests that the Government of Ontario take action to implement the rural road safety program that Good Roads has committed to lead.  It will allow Ontario’s rural municipalities to make the critical investments needed to reduce the high number of people being killed and seriously injured on Ontario’s rural roads. 

Over the past few weeks, several parts of Ward 12 have experienced repeated power outages and many of you have reached out to my office. Our Ward is serviced by both Alectra and Hydro One, with the latter providing power to the vast majority of the area. The outages have been in Hydro One areas. Although these entities are completely separate from the City of Hamilton and we do not have any control over them, I have reached out to their government relations manager to express our dissatisfaction with the recent service and to ask for actions to be taken to ensure we receive reliable power. I will share updates via social media and future issues of this Craig’s Current. You can also reach out directly to Hydro One by emailing [email protected] 

You may have received an email from [email protected] providing you with a Username and a Password and inviting you to create a profile for Hamilton Recreation.  

This is NOT a spam email. Please use this information to sign up for the City's new Recreation Portal. 

Do you have a household item that needs to be repaired but haven’t gotten to it or don’t know how? Consider taking it to the next Repair Cafe! On November 23 local environmental group Action 13 held their fifth event in Dundas where folks could take items to be repaired on the spot by local volunteers, at no cost. Repairs offered include small appliances, home electrical, straight-edge tool sharpening, jewelry, mending and darning, sweater de-pilling, and patching. Enjoy the band and refreshments while you are there! Mark your calendars for the next Repair Cafe on Saturday, January 25, 2025. Learn more at Dundas Repair Cafe 

If you are the recipient of a parking ticket you can turn that frown into a smile through Toys for Tickets! The City of Hamilton is excited to announce the launch of the new pilot program, running from December 2 to 6, 2024. This initiative gives residents the opportunity to pay their parking tickets by donating new, unwrapped toys equal to or greater in value than their ticket fines. All donations will support local families through United Way Halton and Hamilton, helping to make the holiday season brighter for children in need.  

If you receive a parking ticket from the City of Hamilton, that is valid and payable between December 2 and 6, 2024, you can resolve your fine during this time by donating a toy of equal or greater value than your ticket amount. 

Learn more at Hamilton.ca - toys for tickets 

In 2022, to reduce sewer spills into the environment, the City launched a risk-based inspection pilot program to proactively inspect and investigate the combined sewer system for cross-connections that would allow spills into the environment. A cross-connection occurs when a sanitary sewer (wastewater from toilets, sinks, showers etc) is found to be mistakenly connected to a stormwater sewer (rainwater and snow melt). 

After a successful pilot, in November 2023, Hamilton City Council approved the transition of the pilot inspection program to a permanent program.  Hamilton Water's Enhanced Sewer Inspection Program is the result; a comprehensive initiative aimed at ensuring a sustainable and healthy sewer system with a primary goal to eliminate dry weather discharges into the environment, thereby protecting our waterways and promoting public health. This is a very worthy investment for the City. 

View the Sewage Spills map which identifies locations of sewage spills originating from Hamilton Water’s wastewater infrastructure as identified through the City’s inspection and maintenance programs, or through other means. 

Have you ever been hit by a motor vehicle in Hamilton while walking, cycling, or using another non-motorized mode of transportation? Cycle Hamilton has partnered with the McMaster Office of Community Engagement - Research Shop to explore the patterns of motor vehicle collisions with vulnerable road users such as pedestrians, mobility device users, people on bikes, and scooter users. The results of this survey will be shared and used to make Hamilton the best place to get around outside of a car. Thanks for participating! 

Fill out the survey HERE 

• Tree Lighting – A Village Christmas, December 5^th , 6pm-8pm, Old Town Hall 

• Sinfonia Ancaster – Home for the Holidays, December 6^th, 7pm. Arts Centre 

• Theatre Ancaster - It’s a Wonderful Life, Dec 6^th–8^th, Old Firehall (annual Ancaster Community Services Benefit 

• Ryerson United Church – Toy Drive, December 7, 9am-12pm, 265 Wilson St E. 

• Ancaster Christmas Craft Show December 14, 10am to 3pm – Ancaster Fairgrounds 

• Theater Ancaster, ‘Cool Yule’ (Choral Series) – Dec 14 at 7:30pm & Dec 15 at 2pm 

• FREE Public Skate with your Councillor. Saturday, December 21, 10:30am – 12:30am, Morgan Firestone Arena 

As climate change-induced summer storms worsen, and the intensity and duration of rainfall increases, the City is left to repair the damage. The three major storms we experienced between July 10 and 24, 2024 delivered over 150mm of rainfall - nearly double the 30-year July average of 80mm, and in some areas, peak rainfall rates reached 50mm per hour. These storms caused significant impacts on the stormwater management system, including flash flooding in local watercourses, partial failure of a gabion wall in Sydenham Creek, large deposits of shale and rock at key storm sewer inlets, and localized overland flooding in parts of Dundas and West Hamilton. 

The financial impact is considerable. Hamilton Water incurred $300K in contractor costs, double the $150K originally budgeted for in 2024, and $6,500 in staff overtime for the July 10 to 24 period. Cost estimates for the evaluation and repair of the Sydenham Creek gabion wall are still to be determined. The costs of not acting urgently to address Climate Change will affect all our pocketbooks. Want to see the images of the damage for yourself? Scroll down to page 5 of this Council Communication Update. 

The City of Hamilton has been selected as the national winner of World Wildlife Fund’s One Planet City Challenge (OPCC) 2024! This global competition is one of the largest and longest-running climate challenges for cities worldwide. This year, 359 cities from 48 countries participated, with 62 finalists chosen. In Canada, Hamilton, along with Peterborough and Calgary, reached the shortlist based on their reported climate data with Hamilton taking the top award nationally. Congratulations to Hamilton’s Office of Climate Change Initiatives! 

Thanks as always to everyone who reaches out to engage with our office. I hope you enjoyed reading this month’s newsletter. Please share it with Ward 12 neighbours and friends. If you have questions feel free to reach out to us at [email protected] and subscribe to the Ward 12 newsletter at CraigCassar.ca. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and BlueSky.