Councillor Craig's Current - September 2024

Hello, Ward 12 

Welcome to September! In this issue of Craig’s Current, we have Ward updates on traffic safety, park construction, street light installations, management of invasive species in our stormwater ponds, and an improved way to stay informed about development applications appealed to the Ontario Land Tribunal. I’ll also give you a summary of the action that Council just approved to address the ongoing challenge of homelessness and encampments. There is, of course, much more in this jam-packed newsletter, and to kick it off here’s a brief update on Garner Road Construction and how you can help support local businesses who need your patronage!  

The construction on Garner Rd impacts travel through Ancaster and is certainly an inconvenience for many. However, the impact is much more significant for small businesses along this corridor whose livelihoods depend on our patronage to survive these challenging times. Business for many is down significantly. 

I recently met with the City of Hamilton Construction Management team and some neighbouring businesses to review their concerns and talk about ways to help. The most common question on this topic is, “Can the City provide financial support to help us?” Unfortunately, Provincial legislation (in the form of the Municipal Act that gives certain authorities to cities and towns) prohibits us from providing any form of financial compensation.  

However, City staff are adding additional signs reminding the community that, despite restricted access and partial road closures, LOCAL BUSINESSES REMAIN OPEN! Our local Garner Road businesses need our support more than ever, so please make an extra effort to support them! 

One of the businesses affected by Garner Rd construction is Butties of Scotland near Bishop Tonnos High School. Please join me along with owners Lee and Rachel for a ‘Breakfast with Your Councillor’ event at their restaurant. Stop by and purchase breakfast to support Butties! See you on Thursday, September 26 from 8:30-10:30 at 21 Panabaker Drive, Ancaster. 

Safety for people on our streets has been one of my top priorities since taking office, and traffic calming measures are an important tool to achieve that goal. Such measures were not supported in previous terms of Council and as a result Ward 12 is behind other areas of the City in installation and is faced with decades of pent-up demand. However, we are working through the list so if you have a road safety issue you would like to report, please email City Staff directly at [email protected]. 

Additionally, we have created the Community Road Safety Map which lists areas of concern and actions being taken to address them. Find the Community Road Safety Map at my website. 

We all want change quickly, but it is important to remember that there are 15 Wards across Hamilton that limited Staff resources must support. What we want to see implemented will take time and will be subject to Staff review.  Having said that, I am pleased to inform the community of a few more implementations that have been installed or will soon be. 

1. The latest round of speed cushions have been installed on Orchard Drive and in Mohawk Meadows on Tuscarora, Oneida, Algonquin, Seneca, Cayuga and Hiawatha.  

2. A lighted crosswalk is being installed where the radial trail intersects McNiven Rd.  

3. The removal of vegetation at six roundabouts in the Meadowlands that was obstructing sight lines and making these areas dangerous for people crossing the street.  

4. The intersection at Carrington Court and Todd St. has been squared off to slow traffic turning left or right in all directions. 

5. A "Children at Play" sign has been installed at the Tuscarora cut-through path to Rousseaux School to remind drivers to please drive carefully as children may suddenly emerge from the path onto Tuscarora. 

6. A number of other streets in the community are currently undergoing speed studies to determine if calming measures are warranted. 

Our office wants to make it easier for residents to have a voice in development applications that are appealed to the Ontario Land Tribunal. If you want to understand more about, and participate in, development proposals in Ward 12 that have been appealed to the OLT, check the new “Ontario Land Tribunal” section on my website.  Several appeals are listed along with details of how you can participate, and notices of decisions. More will be added as they become available. Find it at CraigCassar.ca 

Thanks to Cable 14 for airing the special presentation of my short documentary Follow the Flow of Ancaster Creek, filmed in early 2022. Join me along with Dr. Don McLean from Hamilton 350, and longtime Ancaster farmer (now farming in Waterford), Carrie Hewitson as we explore the biodiversity found along the creek and learn about the perils faced by the Garner Marsh (the headwaters) whose fate will be decided in February 2025 at the Ontario Land Tribunal.  

Learn about owner Alberta Investment Management Corporation’s (AIMCo) plans to destroy the marsh and surrounding farmland with a 1.3 million square foot warehouse complex. Watch the Cable 14 special presentation at this link. 

The City's streetlight installation continues, and the tender is out for Mohawk Meadows (area 1 in the map). Based on the time needed to deliver material, construction will start in the spring of 2025 with a completion date anticipated by May 31, 2025.  

As you can see from the map, areas 2 (Harmony Hall II), area 3 (Pinecrest), and area 4 (Perth Park/Greenside Acres) are next for completion. If you have identified a location where you believe streetlights may be needed, please email the City team at: [email protected] 

Ancaster Heights Park The new play structure and swings have been completed and the park is now open for all to enjoy. We hope you’ll join us for a grand opening and free tree giveaway at the park on Sunday, October 6 at 11:30am. Come join us for cookies and take home a native Ontario tree sapling to plant in your yard! The park can be found at the west end of Alexander Road in Ancaster. 

Meadowlands Park Construction of a sun shelter and drinking fountain has commenced and is expected to be completed in November. These upgrades had always been planned as part of the initial spray pad installation project that was completed in 2021, but these final items were delayed, despite having been ‘on the books’ since November 2011!  Except for the swing set, the spray pad and playground will remain open during construction. For the duration of the project, the City of Hamilton Project Manager is available to explain the sequence of work and make note of any anticipated problems during construction.  If you have questions, please reach out to: 

Phragmites ‘australis,’ or European Common Reed, is an invasive perennial grass that thrives in wetland areas and stormwater ponds and aggressively displaces native plants. This invasive species can grow up to five metres tall and form dense stands, negatively impacting stormwater management facilities. Stormwater ponds are crucial for reducing flooding and improving water quality before runoff enters creeks and streams. The thick, dense stands of Phragmites in storm ponds reduce water storage capacity, trap sediment, and obstruct proper drainage, leading to potential flooding issues upstream. In other green spaces, Phragmites monocultures further harm ecosystem health and biodiversity by outcompeting native species. In Ward 12, work is underway to remove Phragmites from our stormwater system. See targeted locations on the map. 

All are welcome! Please join us at the Ancaster Rotary Centre on Tuesday October 8 for a presentation on landmarks and monuments by the City of Hamilton Indigenous Relations team. 

The first phase of the City’s Landmarks and Monuments Review focused on gathering community opinions which will guide future decisions about how to represent Indigenous stories and history at the Queen Victoria, Augustus Jones and United Empire Loyalists monument sites. The goal of this project is to provide a more equitable, balanced, and inclusive representation of Indigenous histories and contributions, supporting reconciliation and education about colonial history in Canada. 

Community members are invited to this in-person session where you will watch an Indigenous Perspectives educational video, which offers insights into monument sites from some Indigenous Perspectives. After the video, you will be invited to provide feedback via a survey. 

When: Tues, October 8 from 5:30-7:30 

Where: Ancaster Rotary Centre, 385 Jerseyville Rd W, Ancaster 

What: A brief five-minute presentation followed by a 20-minute video. 

To ensure broad participation, the video and survey is now online until October 31 at Engage Hamilton. 

A year ago, while we continued to work through long-term housing solutions, the City of Hamilton enacted an Encampment Protocol to manage the growing crisis of unhoused in our community. The Protocol was never meant to be permanent nor a solution to the crisis. It was intended to bring structure to the growing number of tents in public spaces. It is not the reason why there are tents in parks; the number of people living rough in Hamilton is about 300, so constantly pushing them from site to site via enforcement was not viable nor a wise use of resources. Police Chief Bergen is on record stating that we cannot enforce our way out of this situation. We are in a crisis: housing is increasingly expensive, shelters are at capacity and there is nowhere for our unhoused neighbours to go.  

Over the past year, Council and Staff have been listening carefully and we've heard feedback from the public that more needs to be done about homeless. We all agree with that position; it's just a matter of finding the funding and the resources to enact change. Council has stepped up in this regard, but we are not getting the necessary support from the other levels of government. 

Throughout this term of Council, we have been relentlessly advocating for the Feds and the Province to provide funding for the necessary solutions. Unfortunately, sufficient funding continues to be unavailable to the City, although at Council on September 25, we supported the Mayor’s motion to have staff work to apply for some of the $250M the Feds just announced. The Province has stated several times that they provide $28M in operating funds without acknowledging that the scale of the problem is much larger than that. In 2024, the City is funding $119M of our $170M housing and homelessness budget (that's 70% of the total!). That's a 51% increase from 2023 which was a 30% increase from 2022. The City is all-in on housing and homelessness. 

Despite the commitment by Council, residential property taxes should not be burdened with the costs to tackle this crisis; they were never meant to pay for housing and mental health supports that are so desperately needed in Hamilton. These are a provincial responsibility. But with that said, we are in a crisis and there is no one left to help! Nobody. So, the City needed to act and that is why the Mayor directed staff in August to pursue new options. They delivered. On September 18, Staff presented recommendations to add 272 temporary shelter spaces.  

The approved annualized funding of $12.1M will add: 

• 192 temporary beds to the existing 341 beds (a 56% increase) with current shelter providers and will be activated in the next 4 to 8 weeks. 

• 80 temporary outdoor shelters beds on city-owned lands - known as the Barton-Tiffany lands - in Ward 2. These beds will have 24/7 supports for the residents. The goal is to have these shelters in place by the end of 2024. 

The outdoor shelters are very similar to what the HATS team (Hamilton Alliance for Tiny Shelters) has proposed. However, this site will be separate from HATS as they are still working on a separate plan to provide additional shelters at a yet-to-be-determined location. 

But what about the Encampment Protocol? Will this plan eliminate tents in parks and public spaces? Not right away, no. There are two reasons. First of all, the City is currently facing a legal challenge with respect to the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and we don't have enough shelter spaces for everyone on the streets. Secondly, we expect most Hamiltonians living rough will take advantage of the new shelter spaces, but we can't force people into them. However, it will enable the City to tighten up the Protocol and further limit where an encampment is permitted. To that end, most of my colleagues supported the following amendment to the plan:   

That City staff be directed to report back in Q1 2025 on potential changes to the current Encampment Protocol related to the implementation of the City's investment in temporary and permanent shelter spaces, which will enable the City to enforce its Parks and Streets By-law and sunset the current Encampment Protocol to ensure that the City is in compliance with the Charter and current case law. 

In the coming months, as we continue to work on more permanent solutions, we expect these short-term plans to be a critical lifeline to our unhoused neighbours and to all Hamiltonians who want to enjoy our parks and open spaces. 

Click here to watch my comments in Council on the staff recommendation 

Click here to read recent coverage on this topic from the Hamilton Spectator 

Click here to read more about Hamilton’s Homelessness Ending Strategy 

In Canada, window collisions kill 16 to 42 million birds a year. Thanks to Feather Friendly who kindly donated the materials needed to cover windows of our office at the Ancaster Municipal Service Centre with markings that prevent bird collisions and death due to window strikes. Sherri, Nancy, and I spent a few lunch hours applying the stickers, which is easy to do. Unfortunately, untreated windows are a reflective surface that can reflect the image of surrounding trees causing catastrophic effects as birds attempt to fly through them. The markings make the window appear to birds as a solid surface that they should avoid. 

September 30 is recognized as Orange Shirt Day, an Indigenous-led grassroots commemorative day inspired by the story of Indian Residential School Survivor Phyllis Webstad. Phyllis was 6 years old when she wore her new orange shirt for her first day at residential school. Her shirt was immediately taken from her by school staff. To honour the children who survived Indian Residential Schools and remember those who did not, many Canadians across the country wear an orange shirt. In Phylis’ own words: 

 “I went to the Mission for one school year in 1973/1974. I had just turned 6 years old. I lived with my grandmother on the Dog Creek reserve. We never had very much money, but somehow my granny managed to buy me a new outfit to go to the Mission school. I remember going to Robinson’s store and picking out a shiny orange shirt. It had string laced up in front and was so bright and exciting – just like I felt to be going to school! 

When I got to the Mission, they stripped me, and took away my clothes, including the orange shirt! I never wore it again. I didn’t understand why they wouldn’t give it back to me, it was mine! Orange has always reminded me of that and how my feelings didn’t matter, how no one cared and how I felt like I was worth nothing. All of us little children were crying and no one cared.” 

The Indian Residential School system operated across Canada for well over 100 years, with the last schools closing in the 1990s. Indian Residential Schools were created to separate Indigenous children from their families and communities, and to systematically strip away their traditions, cultural practices, and languages. More than 150,000 First Nations, Inuit, and Métis children from across the country were forced to attend Indian Residential Schools, which were often located far from their homes. Thousands never made it home. 

Each year on the federally recognized National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, we reflect and honour Survivors, their families and communities affected by the legacy of Indian Residential Schools. Learn more about the City of Hamilton’s Urban Indigenous Strategy here. 

In celebration of National Forest Week in Canada and Diana Beresford-Kroeger's new book, Our Green Heart: The Soul and Science of Forests, Merit Motion Pictures is showing Call of the Forest for free until Monday, September 30. 

Algae blooms fueled by climate change have been wreaking havoc on Hamilton’s waterfront this year. Aside from the damage it does to the natural environment by reducing oxygen levels in the water, people who come into contact with or ingest water containing algae may become very ill and pets could be killed by drinking it. The algae forms in shallow, still waters, when nutrients like fertilizer are washed into our creeks and streams and end up in our lakes. As rainfall intensity increases due to climate change, more of these nutrients are washed away, just as we have experienced during the summer of 2024. Coupled with rising temperatures and sunny conditions, we can expect to see more frequent and intense algae blooms. Unfortunately, attempting to ‘clean up’ the blooms would do more harm than good since disturbing a bloom (i.e. by “vacuuming” it up as was done previously by the City) only serves to help it grow. This is a challenge that doesn’t have an easy solution.  

• Ancaster Farmer’s Market – Wednesdays from 3 – 7pm until October 16 

• Ability First Accessibility Fair - September 26 – City Hall Forecourt 11–3 pm 

• King James - Street Party - September 28 - Theatre Aquarius - 11:00pm to 8:00pm 

• National Day for Truth and Reconciliation - September 30 - West Harbour James Street Plaza (James Street North and Guise Street) - Sunrise (approximately 7:15am) and 1:00pm to 3:30pm 

• Fall Garden and Mum Show – October 4-13 – Gage Park Greenhouse. This year’s theme is “Candyland”. Purchase tickets at the door or online.  

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 Twitter.