Craig's Current - June 2026

Hello, Ward 12, and welcome to the heat of summer! As I write this, a heat warning is in place, with the humidex making it feel like it’s in the mid-40s. Please stay cool and check in on elderly and other vulnerable family and neighbours to ensure they are ok. The heat makes it a good time to sit quietly and read the latest issue of Craig’s Current. We have articles on many of the big topics over the past month. In Council News, you can read about ‘AI Data Centres in Hamilton?’, our new ‘Carbon Budgeting and Accounting Framework’, the ‘New Bus Maintenance and Storage Facility’, successes from our ‘Economic Development Action Plan’, and the ‘Federal-Provincial Development Charges Reduction Program‘.

In Ward 12 News, a sample of the articles includes news about upgrades to the Lynden Well and Treatment Station, a link to my recent ‘City Finances’ Town Hall, details on my July 23 ‘Roads’ Town Hall, and repair work happening to Hammill House and the rear addition of Old Town Hall.

And, as always, there is much more in the Community Safety, In Other News, Happening Around Town, and Climate Corner sections.

Wishing you a safe and happy Canada Day!

TABLE OF CONTENTS

**Remember, please click ‘Read Online’ above for the contents links to function fully.

COUNCIL NEWS
Carbon Budgeting and Accounting Framework
AI Data Centres in Hamilton?
Federal-Provincial Development Charges Reduction Program
New Bus Maintenance and Storage Facility Opens
Energy Storage Systems Policy Approved
Economic Development Action Plan

WARD 12 NEWS
Lynden Well and Treatment Station Upgrades
‘City Finances’ Town Hall Recap
Garner Road Sanitary Sewer Project Review
Cassar Where You Are Community Pop-Ups
Roads Town Hall on July 23
Music at Fieldcote!
Restoration Volunteers Needed
Craig’s List – Support Local
Route 905 Country Festival
Volunteers Needed to Paint the Streets!
Repair Work for Hammill House and the Rear Addition of Old Town Hall

COMMUNITY SAFETY
Protecting Yourself and Your Family Safety Town Hall Recording
Mental Health and Farming

IN OTHER NEWS
Property Tax E-Billing Scam
City of Hamilton Customer Experience Strategy 
Vacant Unit Tax Update
Get on the Municipal Voting List

HAPPENING AROUND TOWN
Various events around Hamilton

CLIMATE CORNER
Energy Harvesting by Hamilton Community Enterprises 
“Gas Plants Aren’t Competitive” – Ontario Gov’t Chooses Battery Storage

On June 3, 2026, Council ratified the long-promised Carbon Budget and Accounting Framework. My commitment to constituents is to advocate for and support climate action, so I was pleased to support the staff recommendation that will incorporate the consideration of GHG emissions into the existing financial budgeting process (i.e., no additional staffing or costs).

A Carbon Budget is just like a regular budget—but instead of just planning how we spend money, it focuses on the amount of greenhouse gas pollution we release into the air. The intent is to understand the carbon impact of our operational and capital project decisions so that we can support our Climate Action Strategy to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions over time and do our part to prevent climate impacts. 

Just like a municipal budget is intended to manage spending, governments can set a carbon budget to avoid going over their targets for GHG emissions, and, through regular reporting, can monitor the carbon budget surplus or deficit.

Hamilton’s proposed Carbon Budget and Accounting Framework is designed to support City staff, Senior Leadership Team, and Council in making more informed decisions regarding climate action. It is a tool that connects climate goals to everyday choices, like building roads, buying equipment, or planning new buildings. If a project creates too much greenhouse gas pollution, the City can rethink it or find a cleaner, less carbon-intensive way to do it. Furthermore, the tool will enable staff to measure how beneficial actions like planting trees (as just one option) increase carbon sequestration that can be tracked towards the long-term goal of achieving net-zero.

A Carbon Budget and Accounting Framework is a relatively new concept for Canadian municipalities; some of the jurisdictions that have advanced this work include - but are not limited to - the cities of Edmonton, Saskatoon, Toronto, and Fredericton, as well as Durham Region and the Town of Whitby.

The current annual community-wide carbon budget is estimated at 53 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent. The total City of Hamilton’s corporate carbon budget is roughly 422,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent. It has long been understood that corporate emissions (e.g., corporate vehicles, buildings, equipment, waste, wastewater) represent less than 1% of community-wide emissions.

The new Framework is composed of the following elements:

• Corporate Carbon Budget and Accounting Framework Policy

• Corporate Carbon Offset and Credit Policy

• Climate and Equity Lens

• GHG Calculator for Municipal Projects

• Annual Reporting

Implementation Timeline

2026 – 2027: Initial adoption of the Carbon Budget and Accounting Framework with direction to staff to implement a two-division pilot phase through the 2027 budget process for capital projects above $250,000.

2027 – 2028: Staff will prepare a Recommendation Report in Q2 2027 following the pilot phase that will include recommendations and refinements to inform the formal city-wide adoption and roll-out of the Carbon Budget and Accounting Framework;

2028 – 2029:  Apply mandatory Carbon Budget and Accounting Framework for all capital

projects;  Begin mandatory Carbon Budget and Accounting Framework for operating

budgets, projects, strategies, plans and policies, and assess existing block funding;

2029 – 2030:   Fully apply mandatory Carbon Budget and Accounting Framework into operating

budgets, projects, strategies, plans and policies, and existing block funding;

For the full details, you can access the summary Staff report (17 pages) here

Read the DRAFT FINAL REPORT: Carbon Budget and Accounting Framework

Implementation Concept (95 pages) here

back to top

Over the last several weeks, the prospect of AI data centres in Hamilton has generated an intense reaction from many members of the public and made national news. The first event generating a reaction was an application by Slate Asset Management for severance of a portion of the 324 hectares (800 acres) of land they own on the former site of Stelco. Severing parcels of land in pieces is a normal part of the development process. In this case, however, the application indicated a possible use of a ‘hyper-scale AI data centre’.

There are many examples of these massive centres in the U.S. that have had egregious environmental effects: excessive water consumption and pollution; greenhouse gas emissions from power generation; excessive noise; and excessive heat generation, all of which greatly deteriorate the quality of life for surrounding communities. Further, due to the substantial demand that such facilities have on the electrical grid and the lack of regulation and consumer protections in some states, these projects can drive up the price of energy for consumers. Driven by the absence of regulations in the U.S. for these items, these projects have left many communities with a nightmare in their midst.

So, with examples like that to reference, it is not a surprise that the Hamiltonians have risen in opposition to even the mention of AI data centres in our city.

In response to the intense interest, Councillor Nann introduced – and Council supported - a motion directing Staff to prepare an ‘interim control bylaw’ which would act as a temporary moratorium (up to one year) on any data centre development in Hamilton. The intention of the moratorium is to allow Staff to report back with a framework on how Hamilton should evaluate such projects with the objective of preventing the harmful outcomes experienced in the U.S.

Staff intend to bring the bylaw forward for Council deliberation in July.

As it stands right now, the existing zoning on the Steelport lands permits data centres. That zoning has existed for approximately 15 years, so no Council approval would be necessary; Staff would process an application following their existing processes, and all municipal and provincial regulations would need to be followed before the issuance of a building permit.

During deliberations on the motion at Planning Committee, I asked Staff to explain how each of the environmental aspects mentioned above would be evaluated based on current regulations in Hamilton and Ontario. Watch the clip here. 

Briefly, the City has regulations for noise that any development would have to satisfy. Heat generation is not regulated by any level of government, and there is a vision to use waste heat from industry on the Steelport lands (via a district energy system) to provide energy and reduce costs and GHG emissions in Hamilton (see ‘Energy Harvesting’ article in this issue).

Water quality and pollution are under the jurisdiction of the Province, although the City would require the proponent to prove the required water supply is available. Electricity demand and supply are regulated by the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO), and the structure for managing the demand and supply of electricity is quite different than what exists in many states. There are already 200 megawatts of power available to the site based on the legacy of Stelco’s former operations.

So, there are, in fact, regulations, but the premise of Councillor Nann’s motion is that there is no specific framework to evaluate this very new type of development within the burgeoning AI industry. Coupled with a lack of knowledge (on Council and City Staff), it is difficult to make informed and constructive decisions about the data centres and how they would affect communities. All development at Steelport would certainly generate significant tax revenues, which are very much needed to offset the tax burden on residents, but the motion asserts that the environmental impacts are not clear. Consistent with my approach on all forms of development, both short- and long-term environmental and community impacts need to be understood and consistent with sustainable practices.

Beyond just the impacts to the physical environment, there is the broader topic of societal impacts: economic harms from job loss in many industries, including creative fields like art and music, and the reduction in critical thinking and writing skills, among many other concerns. These are much broader topics beyond the city’s scope and fall under federal jurisdiction. The Feds have recently launched Canada’s National Artificial Intelligence Strategy: AI for All

To that end, Slate’s Steelport land is the possible location for a publicly owned research-focused data centre by Digital Research Alliance Canada (DRAC), which would build a much more modest facility than the hyperscale facility concept that initially made the news.

McMaster University has also been working with s2e technologies to establish an advanced computing and research data centre at the old Spectator building at 44 Frid St. Facilities such as the proposed DRAC and McMaster projects have become integral for high-level research (think climate modeling and medical research) by academics across many fields. The moratorium would block these projects, which potentially scuttles their likelihood of happening in Hamilton, and is a significant downside should it be determined that these types of projects are desirable and can be executed within acceptable tolerances vis-à-vis the environmental concerns mentioned above.

In summary, a decision for a moratorium is controversial and aims to ensure a suitable evaluation framework is in place prior to allowing an impactful new type of development to take root in Hamilton. The risk is that such a delay in this rapidly moving field of technology has the potential to deter substantial investment in Hamilton for high-level research facilities supporting the public good.

As I always do, I will make all future decisions based on facts and the overall costs and benefits for Hamilton and Hamiltonians. We can’t allow harmful externalities to affect the quality of life for our residents, and we need to take advantage of private investment that will generate tax revenue while providing societal benefits like facilities for advanced research. Just as with any development project, they are not all created equally, and each one will need to be considered based on its own characteristics to ensure it makes sense for Hamilton.

Read Councillor Nann’s motion: Municipal Framework regarding the Development of Data Centres in Hamilton at item 10.1

Read the CBC news article here

back to top

On June 1, the Feds and Province of Ontario announced a new funding program of $8.8B over 10 years to offset the cost burden of development charges (DCs) on new home construction and, most meaningfully, on new home prices in Ontario. Before describing how Hamilton City Council has applied for $561M in funding from the program, here’s a quick overview of DCs and why they exist.

DCs are one-time fees levied by municipalities on developers of new residential and non-residential development projects and are typically collected upon the issuance of a building permit. Governed provincially by the Development Charges Act, 1997, these fees are intended to ensure that "growth pays for growth," meaning developers and new property owners cover the capital costs of new or expanded municipal infrastructure and public services required to support a growing community (e.g., roads, water and sewer systems, fire and police stations, transit, and parks).

Residential DCs are calculated based on the type and number of dwelling units, while non-residential fees are based on the building's gross floor area. The methodology is prescribed by the Provincial Government.

If you purchased a new home in Hamilton, your purchase price included DCs. So, any DC exemptions granted to new development (there are many statutory exemptions required by the Province and further discretionary Council-approved exemptions) must be paid by local tax and rate (water) payers. Since you had already paid for your impact on growth when you bought your new home, this means that you would be paying beyond what you might call your “fair share”.

Recently, the development industry has called out DCs as one of the barriers (HST and the cost of construction materials are others) to making new housing development financially viable and also affordable for potential owners/renters.

Since municipalities are legislatively required to fund DCs based on Provincial growth projections, they have two choices: collect DCs as I have described or provide exemptions to lower the cost burden on new development. The catch to that second option is that the City still needs to fund the dollar value exempted; that means the burden is placed on existing property tax and rate (water) payers. This is the ‘double paying’ I alluded to earlier. It’s a classic catch-22.

Enter the Federal-Provincial Development Charges Reduction Program 2026-2035, which would pay for projects that would otherwise be funded by DCs. Theoretically, these funds would reduce the requirement for municipalities to charge DCs, thus increasing the financial viability of new housing and, if savings are passed on to the purchaser, making new housing more affordable.

To put the savings potential in context, before any reductions from the program, a new single-family home would be subject to a $102,451 DC charge, and non-residential construction would be charged $46.88/sq ft. You can read the detailed breakdown here. 

The program was announced on June 1 with applications from municipalities due on June 19 – a very tight timeline. On June 17, City Council approved a submission of 5 projects for which we hope to receive 90% funding (under the terms of the program, the City must fund 10%).  

If entirely successful, we expect that we could be able to provide a 100% reduction in DCs for the next three years to all new housing projects in Hamilton! I asked Staff if there would be any impact to property taxpayers. Although the full terms of the program are yet to be defined, Staff believe there would be no impact, but more work is required.

The Province will review submissions over the next couple of months, and there will be an opportunity for Council to approve or deny participation in the program based on the finalization of the program terms and what the Province approves from our request. 

back to top

Fast, frequent, and reliable transit is a key pillar of a successful city. I’ve heard that from businesses and the Chamber of Commerce who cite effective transit as a requirement to attract and retain labour. I also hear from drivers frustrated about traffic congestion that they want the City to take action.

As a city grows with more people in a limited space, it’s imperative to make transportation more efficient. It’s really a simple matter of spatial geometry; more single-occupancy vehicles in the same amount of space leads to gridlock, which makes the quality of life worse for everyone. That's why having options to get around Hamilton is fundamental to our success. If one out of three people take transit and another can cycle to their destination, the person still driving will have less congestion to deal with and fewer vehicles to compete with for parking.

The June 2026 opening of the Birch Avenue Bus Maintenance and Storage Facility is a big milestone that will enable significant expansion of transit in Hamilton as planned in Hamilton’s HSR Next transit strategy.

Historically, as HSR service has increased and buses were added to meet growing demand, the existing maintenance and storage facility at 2200 Upper James Street has become significantly overcapacity and has been that way for years.

Construction on the new Birch Ave facility began in 2023 and became fully operational on June 28. It expands maintenance and indoor storage capacity from 200 to 400 buses, with expansion room for 100 more. The facility includes indoor bus storage, a maintenance garage, washing systems, 30 maintenance bays, 2 indoor compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling lanes, administrative space, and infrastructure designed to support future electric buses. The project is partially funded by the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program, which includes contributions from the Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario.

Funding split:

• Government of Canada: $142.8 million

• Government of Ontario: $92.6 million

• City of Hamilton: $155 million

Learn more and watch a time-lapse video of its construction here

Read City of Hamilton media release here

back to top

In July 2025, Council directed Staff to establish land use policies and regulations respecting energy storage systems (ESS). As electricity demand continues to grow, ESS technology is a vital part of the strategy to manage that demand. ESS infrastructure allows energy to be temporarily stored during times of low demand / low cost and then released during peak times. A common example of a peak time would be during a hot summer day when air conditioner usage is high.

On June 16, Council approved Official Plan Amendments that would permit private energy storage facilities in certain locations, subject to the proposal meeting specific criteria, and approval of a site-specific Zoning By-law Amendment.

Permitted urban areas:

Shipping and Navigation areas, Industrial Land, Business Parks, Airport Employment Growth District (AEGD).

Permitted rural areas:

Mineral Aggregate Resource Extraction Areas, and "Rural" zones.

The “Rural” designation permits agriculture uses, resource-based uses, and institutional uses servicing the rural community. Lands designated “Rural” are characterized as having a lower capability for agriculture and as such can be an appropriate location for the siting of private energy storage systems outside of the urban area while avoiding prime agricultural areas.

The Provincial Planning Statement recognizes energy storage systems as an ‘on-farm diversified use’ (i.e. secondary use) in prime agricultural areas. However, the Provincial Planning Statement allows municipalities to be more restrictive than the provincial policy framework. The new policy does not permit ESS within the “Agriculture” designation (e.g. in Greenbelt areas) as the primary intent of the designation is to protect prime agricultural areas for agricultural use.

Read the staff report and presentation as well as the Fire Risk and Response Assessment, Commissioning and Decommissioning Plan, and Energy Storage System Background Document at item 8.2 here

Watch the video of the Council/Staff discussion here

back to top

In June, Council received the final update on the 2021 – 2025 Economic Development Action Plan. As a result of the pandemic and, more recently, substantial geopolitical uncertainty and tariffs on Canadian Industry, it has been a challenging time for economic development.

The plan contained 6 priorities, 13 stretch targets, and 77 action items. 8 of the stretch targets were achieved. Highlights from some of the targets achieved include:

• 7 million square feet of new industrial and commercial space. Actual: 7.47M

• $2.5 Billion in Industrial and Commercial Construction Value. Actual: $2.55B

• Achieve 1.5% Annual Commercial & Industrial Assessment Growth: Actual 2.67%

• 7 Major Events Attracted – Economic Impact. Actual: 7 events, $180M impact

• Transit Revenue Ridership recovered to 2019 levels. Actual: 100.8% in 2024

• Generate $1M in direct City revenue from film production. Actual: $3.2M

Read the reports and presentation at item 6.3 here 

Listen to the presentation by Acting General Manager of Planning and Economic Development, Norm Schleehahn here 

back to top

Hamilton Water Division began work in June at the Lynden Municipal Well and Lynden Treatment Station. The work, expected to continue through September, will complete the permanent connection between the new municipal well, constructed in 2020, and the existing treatment station, providing a backup system to ensure uninterrupted service to the community.  This project will also include site finishing and the installation of safety fencing. There will be no impact on the safe and continuous water supply to homes and businesses during this work. 

More details are at the City website here.

back to top

Thanks to everyone who attended my City Finances Town Hall featuring City of Hamilton General Manager of Finance and Corporate Services, Mike Zegarac, on June 25. If you missed it, you can read the slides or watch the recording at the Town Halls section of my website CraigCassar/communication.

Topics discussed included:

• Insights into Operating and Capital Budgets

• What your property taxes fund

• Where the City is making investments

back to top

To say the community is fed up with the delays posed by the Garner Road closure would be the understatement of the year. I've repeatedly been given completion dates that have come and gone which means any timing the contractor shares is meaningless. The contract signed with the City ensures we will not bear any extra costs due to the delay, but the frustration felt by local businesses, residents, and the inconvenience we have all endured over this last almost two years is far beyond reasonable. 

On Monday, June 15, I moved a motion at the Public Works Committee directing Staff to prepare a full analysis and accounting of what went wrong. You can probably tell that my comments at Committee reflect my frustration. Watch here  

Here's the full direction to Staff:

That Staff be directed to prepare a detailed report back to the Public Works Committee for Q3 2026 with a multi-lens review of the Garner Road Sanitary Sewer Project, including, but not limited to:

(i) An analysis of the project timeline, identifying the delays experienced and their root causes and the effectiveness of steps taken to expedite project completion;

(ii) An analysis of options and tactics available to support local businesses and residents during construction in order to minimize impact;

(iii) An accounting of lessons learned from this project that can be applied to future projects in the Airport Employment Growth District (AEGD) and throughout the City; and

(iv) A summary of how the City’s new Vendor Management Performance System was applied to this project and its outputs.

You can find the full motion at item 10.7 of the Public Works agenda here.

As always, I will do my best to keep you informed when I have reliable information to share.

back to top

I’ve been travelling to neighbourhoods and communities around Ward 12 for pop-up 'Cassar Where You Are' meetings in parks and community spaces. Thanks to everyone who has come to speak to me!

You can meet me, ask questions, or share your thoughts on municipal topics at one of the upcoming events. Find out when and where on my social media and my webpage and event calendar at CraigCassar.ca

back to top

Join me on July 23, 2026, for a “Roads” Town Hall where you can learn about the road network: how conditions are evaluated, how maintenance decisions are made, what future plans exist, and how historical funding decisions have impacted road conditions in 2026.

back to top

Thanks to the tireless efforts of the Friends of Fieldcote volunteers and City Museum Staff, live music is returning to Fieldcote this summer with a series of free outdoor concerts! On Saturday, July 11 from 5 pm - 7 pm, come sing along to your favourite Country hits at Soundtrack of the City: Country Royalty, then on Saturday, July 25 from 5 pm - 7 pm, enjoy Soundtrack of the City: Jazz Music Night at Fieldcote Memorial Park & Museum.

Enjoy some of Hamilton’s finest musical talent while surrounded by the natural beauty of Fieldcote’s seven-acre park. This concert series will transform the Jim Green Bandshell into a lively hub where everyone can sing along to favourites right here in the heart of Ancaster!  Bring a blanket or lawn chair, and while you're there, wander through the park or check out the "Meet me at the Bandshell" exhibit inside the museum. Learn more here.

back to top

Join me, local volunteers, and City Staff to remove invasive European Buckthorn from the Ancaster Radial Trail and in Golf Links Park on Saturday, July 11 from 9 am – 12 noon. Meet at the picnic tables in Golf Links Park off Seymour Drive near Alterra Blvd. Plenty of street parking is available on Seymour Drive or at the end of Lowden Avenue. Please bring loppers, pruners, and hand saws. Gloves and extractigators (weed removal tools) will be provided. Students can collect volunteer hours.

European Buckthorn is highly invasive and crowds out beneficial native species. Removing it benefits the environment and biodiversity. In this park, the buckthorn has grown into dense thickets. As they are removed, there will be gaps until restoration occurs via native plantings at a later date.

back to top

I hope you are enjoying my video series, Craig’s List – Support Local. Supporting local businesses is always important, but it’s absolutely critical in the current context of tariffs, threats to Canadian sovereignty, and general economic uncertainty. In this series, I profile local businesses on my list so that you can add them to yours. Click the link below to watch the most recent Craig’s List - Support Local video: Famiglia Ristorante 

back to top

Happening in Ancaster on the weekend of July 24 and 25! Route 905 Country Festival is a celebration of world-class talent and local Canadian country music, bringing together top regional artists while offering a unique musical experience right in Ancaster! They’re selling quickly, so get your tickets now for a weekend of great music and unforgettable moments. Tickets and line-up at Route 905 Country Festival 

back to top

Bring the kids to paint the streets in Ancaster! On July 28^th, 2026, from 2 pm to 4 pm, join Bay Area Restoration Council (BARC) in creating community awareness about the impact of household hazardous waste on our water. Participants will mark storm drains with painted fish symbols around the neighbourhood surrounding Moorland Park to remind residents “only rain down the drain”! Meet at Moorland Park (160 Moorland Cr).

Yellow Fish Road™ creates community awareness about the impact of household hazardous waste entering our storm sewers, including pool water. Participants will learn about different types of waste, how they make their way into our waterways, and what this means for the environment. Reserve a spot here.

Following registration, a few days before the event, you will receive details about the meeting location and walking route. Children are welcome, as long as accompanied by an adult.

Any questions can be emailed to [email protected]

back to top

Two repair projects are about to begin on City buildings in the Ancaster Core. Exterior repairs and repainting of Hammill House, and window repairs and painting of the rear addition to Old Town Hall are scheduled to begin during the week of July 6.

The work on Hammill House will require scaffolding to remain in place during the project; however, access to and from the building will be maintained and appropriately protected throughout construction. The contractor will only require limited access through the front entrance while painting activities are underway. 

The work on the rear addition of Ancaster Old Town Hall has been scheduled around existing bookings and events. Scaffolding will not remain in place for the entire duration of the project, and the project has been carefully coordinated to ensure there is no disruption to scheduled activities.

back to top

Thanks to those who attended my May 28 Protecting Yourself and Your Family Safety Town Hall at the Ancaster Memorial Arts Centre. So much helpful information was shared by members of the Hamilton Police Service that you won’t want to miss it. Watch the recording of the event at the “Town Halls” section of my website CraigCassar.ca/communication

back to top

The Mental Health Commission of Canada says farming and ranching are considered two of the most stressful occupations in the country, as producers' livelihoods largely depend on what they can't control: weather, markets, trade disputes and government policy decisions.

"When you feel like you have no control over what's happening in your business, in your personal life, then that causes deterioration in cognitive functioning," says Cynthia Beck, with SaskAgMatters Mental Health Network.

Merle Massie of the Do More Agriculture Foundation said there have been higher-than-anticipated numbers of farmers phoning for help, but that could be attributed to more people overcoming the perceived stigma of asking for help.

A recent report from the University of Guelph highlights how both men and women in farming struggle. Various provinces have had stress lines for producers to call, but in February 2025, the Canadian Centre for Agriculture Wellbeing launched a national line. Most farmers can now call that line, but some provinces continue to operate their own.

The national farmer crisis line is 1-866-327-6701 and Canada's suicide crisis helpline can be reached by calling or texting 988. Read more in Flamborough Today

back to top

The City of Hamilton is warning residents of a scam targeting property taxpayers. The fraudulent email account "[email protected]" has been used to impersonate the City of Hamilton's property tax communications. This is not an email address affiliated with the City of Hamilton. The City of Hamilton will never request payment, deposits, banking information, passwords, verification codes, or sensitive personal information through personal, unofficial, or non-City email accounts.

All official City of Hamilton communications are sent from "@hamilton.ca" email addresses. The only legitimate tax communications will come from "[email protected]".

If residents receive an email from a fraudulent account or any other suspicious email address not from “@hamilton.ca” please recognize it as a phishing attempt and delete it. Phishing is a form of cyberattack in which criminals impersonate trusted organizations to deceive people and collect money and/or personal information. Remember, always be cautious with urgent requests, do not open suspicious links or attachments, and be on the lookout for impersonation tactics.

back to top

The City of Hamilton is developing a Customer Experience Strategy to help make City services easier to access, understand, and navigate. Residents, businesses, and community partners are invited to share their experiences and ideas through Engage Hamilton. Your feedback will help shape future City service improvements. Please participate by completing the survey by July 10! Your feedback will help identify common themes, service barriers, and opportunities for improvement and will inform development of the Customer Experience Strategy, including future service standards, recommendations, and an implementation roadmap. Find the survey and more info at Engage Hamilton.

back to top

Some good news for housing in Hamilton! In 2025, over 66% (288 units) of properties that were declared vacant in 2024 have now been reported as occupied. This represents a meaningful increase in available housing supply achieved without new construction, demonstrating that the VUT may be contributing - as intended - by promoting turnover in underused properties and reducing prolonged vacancies.

In addition to this, the 2024 VUT Program is projected to generate $8.35 M in net revenue after successful Notice of Complaint (NOC), Appeals, and Late Appeals. After program expenses are accounted for, net revenues will be directed to the City’s Affordable Housing Funding Program (AHFP) Reserve to support affordable housing initiatives.

Here are some more quick VUT facts:

• The 2024 VUT Program one-time capital implementation costs were $0.90 M, and program administration costs were $2.02 M, both favourable relative to the budget.

• The 2024 VUT program achieved a 98.5% compliance rate for declarations on eligible residential properties, of which 98.3% of properties declared as occupied or exempt, and 0.2% declared as vacant.

• The 2025 VUT program achieved a 97.7% compliance rate for declarations on eligible residential properties.

Approximately 1,937 residential units remained vacant for a second consecutive year, suggesting that the current 1% tax rate may not be sufficient to drive change in all cases. 

• Read the annual reports at item 7.3 of the June 17 GIC agenda here. 

• Read the Spectator article paywall-free here 

• Watch the Council/Staff discussion here 

back to top

Municipal Election Day is coming! Mark your calendars for October 26! Municipal decisions impact the services, programs and neighbourhoods you rely on every day. Make your plan to vote in the 2026 Municipal Election. Learn more: Hamilton.ca/Elections

Advance Polls:

• October 3-4

• October 10-11

• October 17-18

back to top

July 1 Bayfront Park Canada Day Celebration Bayfront Park, 3 pm-10 pm (fireworks) Note: Limited parking - HSR Shuttle Bus will be in operation

July 1 Troy Canada Day Parade, Troy, 12 pm

July 1 Lynden Canada Day Celebration  Lynden, 12 pm - dusk (fireworks)

July 1 It’s Your Festival Gage Park, June 27-July 1

July 1 Canada Day at HMCS Haida 658 Catharine St N Pier 9, 10 am - 5 pm 

July 1 Canada Day Military Tattoo Dundurn National Historic Site, 5 pm - 6:30 pm 

July 1 Binbrook Canada Day Family Festival Binbrook Fairgrounds, 1 pm – 9 pm

July 4-5 Hamilton Waterfest Dragon Boat Festival Bayfront Park

July 10 Art Crawl – James Street North, 5 pm

July 11 Soundtrack of the City: Country Music – Fieldcote Memorial Park, 5 pm - 7 pm

July 12 and 26 Train Days with the Golden Horseshoe Live Steamers – Hamilton Museum of Steam & Technology, 11 am - 4 pm

July 15-26 Hamilton Fringe Festival – multiple locations 

July 17 Dances at the Bay – Bayfront Park, 7 pm – 9 pm

July 18 Farm Crawl Hamilton – multiple locations

July 19 Sundays Unlocked – Locke Street, 10 am

July 31-August 2 Festival of Friends – Gage Park

Ancaster Memorial Arts Centre Theatre,  Concerts, Film, and Classes throughout the month      
Various events by Hamilton Civic Museums, including Heritage Day at Dundurn Castle  
Various events at the Hamilton Public Library – Ancaster Branch, and Lynden Branch 
Movies at Hamilton Public Library 
Various events at the Ancaster Seniors Achievement Centre 

back to top

Hamilton Community Enterprises is an arms-length energy provider and a telecom company wholly owned by the City of Hamilton. Their competitive advantage is their expertise in district energy systems, which centralize the production of heating and cooling for many buildings in our downtown core. Such a setup also enables the use of waste heat from industrial processes to heat and provide hot water to other buildings on the network, materially reducing greenhouse gas emissions.  

Their 2025 Energy Harvesting Study reviewed the potential to utilize waste heat from Hamilton’s Bayfront Industrial Area to achieve GHG emissions reductions of 80% compared to business-as-usual with fossil fuels.

Watch CEO, Jeff Cowan speak about district energy and their Energy Harvesting Study here.

back to top

From “The Energy Mix”: Ontario’s decision to award three new contracts for 640 megawatts (MW) of battery storage capacity—and reject new natural gas plants that were also in the running—shows that gas can no longer win a competitive bid against the less expensive, lower-carbon option, a clean energy advocate says.

Keith Brooks, program director at Environmental Defence Canada, was reacting after the province announced results of the capacity auction under its LT2 procurement, described in a Ministry of Energy and Mines release as “a transparent, competitive, and technology-agnostic procurement that will secure the lowest-cost power for ratepayers from a wide range of potential available technologies.”

“This was in a procurement where gas plants were given bonus points just for being gas, and projects were given extra points for being able to provide power for 12 hours continuously—which was another attempt to give gas plants the leg up,” he explained, since the battery projects all offered an eight-hour run time. “And it’s not as though the gas folks didn’t try. We tracked over 1000 megawatts of proposed gas plants that were out seeking municipal resolutions that they needed to get contracts—and they got the resolutions they needed, but they didn’t get offered contracts.”

Those results showed that, “despite a very obvious ideological distaste for renewable energy, the economics are so compelling now that this government was forced to go in that direction,” Brooks told the Star.

• Read the full article in The Energy Mix

• The Provincial press release is here

back to top

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.