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THIS EDITION OF THE WARD 1 NEWSLETTER INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING:

• Reducing Homelessness and Managing Encampments – An Update
• Affordable Housing Project Stream
• Preserve and Retain Existing Affordable Housing
• Park Project Updates
  • HAAA
  • Alexander Skate Park
• York Boulevard Construction
• Events

Reducing Homelessness and Managing Encampments – An Update

In June, city staff presented a one-year review of Hamilton’s encampment protocol to a full committee of Hamilton City Council.  The protocol has been in place since August 2023.  Council approved the following changes: 

1. A minimum distance of 100 m between an encampment and funeral homes and an encampment  and long-term care residencies as well as spaces that are designed and programmed for children;
2. No encampment within 5 m from sidewalks, walkways and pathways all months of the year and
3. Establish a minimum 25 m distance from active construction sites and encampments.

Council requested that staff report back in August 2024 on the implications of further amendments to the protocol, including:

1. Private Property Line minimum distance increase from 10 m to 25 m
   • (ii) Construction Site minimum distance increase from 25 m to 100 m 
   • (iii) Funeral Home minimum distance change from the classification of funeral home to active business 
   • (iv) Pathways minimum distance increase from 5 m to 50 m
   • (v) Heritage Designation distance increase from 5 m to 50 m and add monuments & memorials to the classification.

Additional Investments for 2024

Hamilton Council also asked staff to report on the costs of more emergency shelter beds; specifically, 110 single men, 50 single women, and 55 couple spaces (110 beds), with 25% being pet-friendly. The inability to accommodate pets is often a barrier to shelter use.   

At present, there are 345 permanent and 20 temporary shelter beds in Hamilton, and the beds are full 99% to 100% of the time. All beds are provided by shelter agencies.

The City also has a call for applications to create 200 additional family sector beds.  Until those spaces are secured, the City continues to fund 52 hotel overflow rooms. 

Council also approved spending an additional $1.842 million on housing and homeless support, including more paramedic services, for the remainder of this calendar year.

How the Protocol Works

As stated publicly by me and other Councillors, no one wants tents in public parks.  The visibility of people deprived of housing, sometimes matched with apparent signs of mental health challenges and/or substance use, has generated many feelings and, on occasion, unwanted experiences for both housed and unhoused residents. 

 The protocol did not cause homelessness in Hamilton.  Nor will it solve it. The protocol is an effort to manage a homelessness crisis caused by housing market conditions and decades of under-investment in public housing. 

The case law governing what cities and towns can and cannot do with encampments on public property is changing.   All municipalities await clear legal delineations of rights, restrictions and responsibilities.

In the meantime, the protocol sets out areas across the city where encampments are not permitted and a series of steps to be followed in the event there's a confirmed breach.

Hamilton Police Services and Encampment Protocol Enforcement

Across the city, housed residents have expressed concern and frustration with the timeliness of enforcement when there’s a protocol breach. 

Additional concerns about unlawful activity within and around some encamped areas, as well as the health and safety of all residents, have been raised.

As previously reported, City bylaw staff can issue a notice of trespass should an encampment violate the protocol; however, only Hamilton Police Services has the legal authority to remove individuals from city-owned property should there be a protocol violation.  Currently, two HPS officers oversee encampment protocol enforcement across the city.  Funding for these HPS resources is in addition to the HPS annual operating budget submitted to Council each year.  

Core Police Services – Illegal Activity at encampments

Hamilton Police Service representatives at June’s Council meeting confirmed that the HPS will continue their core policing duties should criminal activity be suspected or reported in and around encampments, regardless of whether an encampment meets the requirements of the encampment protocol.

Sanctioned Sites

At this same June meeting, the Hamilton Police Service reported that while the City’s encampment protocol is well intended and part of the municipality’s effort to manage a crisis and adhere to recent court decisions on the use of public property, HPS suggested sanctioned sites as an alternative or in addition to the protocol. HPS stated that the number of encampments in public parks and spaces is contributing to feelings of being unsafe. They added that many people living unhoused are also feeling unsafe. Garbage, a lack of bathrooms and supports, along with the lifestyle of some encamped people are contributing to safety concerns and unsafe conditions for all.

Hamilton City Council asked City staff to report back in August on the resources required to implement sanctioned sites. At the time of writing, HATS (Hamilton Alliance for Tiny Shelters) has not provided Council with any updates.

Conclusion

The number of people without a secure place to sleep is growing. The depth and complexity of the need are enormous, as is the cost. 

The city has a plan, and progress is being made with this new term of Council. However, no municipality can solve this crisis independently, and the amount of property taxes being directed at this crisis is not sustainable. 

Hamilton needs full and active partners at the table in the form of the Province (for supportive housing with wrap-around health services as health is a provincial responsibility along with income supplements) and the Federal Government (funding for non-market, non-speculative housing). 

Affordable, appropriate housing is critical to our city’s economic progress, social development and financial sustainability.  It's also vital to Ontario and Canada's future.

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Affordable Housing Project Stream

The city’s newly formed Housing Secretariat ensures the city’s oars are rowing in the same direction in reducing barriers to delivering affordable housing.

Hamilton City Council earmarked a $4 million annual investment to support new nonprofit affordable housing development through the Affordable Housing Project Stream. Council also approved $10.3 million annually for three years to leverage any provincial and federal funding to deliver 200 supportive housing projects.  

Affordable Housing Development Project Stream – Round One

A significant milestone has been reached with the first round of affordable and supportive housing projects selected to receive available City funding through the Affordable Housing Development Project Stream (Project Stream). 

The Housing Secretariat developed the Project Stream to receive, evaluate and prioritize applications from nonprofit and charitable organizations to create additional affordable and supportive housing units. Twenty-six (26) submissions were evaluated, representing the potential to build 1,620 new units of affordable and supportive housing. Twelve (12) projects were selected for funding in 2024 with the potential to build 551 new units.  Once legal agreements are finalized, the City can publicly disclose details of each successful applicant.

The second round of the Project Stream closed on June 15, and staff are reviewing applications received.

Hamilton Community Foundation

The Hamilton Community Foundation (HCF) has announced that $50 million will be invested in affordable housing in Hamilton over the next ten years.  The Housing Secretariat is collaborating with the Hamilton Community Foundation to determine how the City’s contribution can be stacked with available funding through the Hamilton Community Foundation to support the viability of approved projects through the Project Stream.

City Housing Hamilton - Update

In the late 1990s, former Ontario Premier Mike Harris transferred the full social/public housing cost from the Province onto municipal taxpayers. Local housing corporations had to be established to assume ownership and operation of the social housing portfolio previously owned by the former Ontario Housing Corporation.

City Housing Hamilton (CHH) was formed as a housing corporation owned and operated by the City of Hamilton. It is governed by an independent board of directors of selected Hamilton City Council members and residents.  CHH is the third largest housing provider in Ontario.

City Housing Hamilton provides various forms of housing to families, seniors, couples, singles, and people with special needs.

As previously reported in a Ward 1 newsletter, City Housing Hamilton (CHH) had a backlog of 476 vacant units needing significant repair. With funding from the City of Hamilton (as the single shareholder), the new board of CHH (post-2022 municipal election) set out to get all units back in use by the end of November 2024.  Again, reconstruction and repair cost significantly less than new construction.  CHH is on track to meet this commitment.

Other CHH project updates include:

• 257 King William Street is scheduled to be completed by the end of July 2024. The tenant population is expected to be individuals needing significant support; as such, the City has provided funding for a pilot program to offer supportive housing. CHH is working with an agency that will render these services and operate the building on behalf of CHH.
• 106 Bay Street North is scheduled to be completed by the end of October 2024.
• 58 Macassa Avenue is a portion of unused land committed to City Housing Hamilton for development and is being severed.
• 55 Queenston Road is the first of two buildings being built on the former City Motor Hotel site, with occupancy scheduled for late 2024/early 2025
• 1620 Main Street East is the second of two buildings at the City Motor Hotel site. This one is constructed using a panelized modular mass timber system, a first for City Housing Hamilton. Occupancy scheduled for Fall 2025.
• 8 Roxanne Drive is the first building completed using a partnership approach with a developer. Most of the land at this former City Housing Hamilton townhouse complex was sold to a developer in exchange for funding the construction of a new 103-unit building. This building has been occupied for approximately one year.
• 405 James St North began before 8 Roxanne Dr and has experienced significant challenges including an appeal by CN Rail of the City’s official plan and zoning bylaw amendment. Significant effort has been expended on responding to CN’s concerns and all parties continue to work towards a settlement. If a settlement is not possible a hearing with the Ontario Land Tribunal has been scheduled for February 2025.

Preserve and Retain Existing Affordable Housing

A previous Ward 1 newsletter detailed the work of Hamilton City Council to preserve and retain existing affordable housing units.

Over the last ten years, Hamilton has lost 16,000 affordable units ($750/month or less) in the private housing market system.

Construction of affordable housing is critical to addressing the ongoing crisis, but new construction is expensive. Preserving existing units is more cost-efficient, more immediate, and can curtail the pathway to homelessness. Both actions are part of Hamilton’s housing and homelessness plan.

Hamilton City Council enacted the Safe Apartment Buildings By-law and the Renovation License and Relocation By-law as part of the new Hamilton Apartment Rental Program. The bylaws aim to curb affordable unit loss caused by disrepair and neglect.  This is a groundbreaking policy for Hamilton, and other Ontario municipalities may soon follow suit.

The scope of work includes actions aimed at curbing “renovictions”.  This occurs when a tenant is displaced when repairs are undertaken, and the property owner increases the unit's rent following displacement.  The goal is to enable tenants to stay in place, retain existing rental stock and keep it in good repair.

Hamilton City Council also strengthened the Vital Services and Safe Apartments bylaws to enable the City to quickly enforce necessary repairs in apartment buildings where vital services such as water are not being provided.

Hamilton Council increased funding for the Tenant Defense Fund to support tenants in their challenge of eviction notices and above-guideline rent increases at the Landlord Tenant Board.

Rental Protection Bylaw

In June this year, Council also approved a Rental Protection Bylaw (Item 10.5).  

Very few new primary rental housing units have been built in the past several decades. In addition, some existing purpose-built rental housing has either been converted to condominiums or lost to demolition. 

The new Rental Protection Bylaw sets protections against demolition and condominium conversion for tenants in rental buildings.

HAAA Update

In July, we received disappointing news regarding the construction start at the HAAA. Construction has been delayed to Spring 2025. The delay is twofold. The cyber security incident affected the delay, but there was a greater issue with stormwater in a combined sewer system. 

We asked the Landscape Architecture Services (LAS) manager to explain in detail what changed in the months leading up to the expected construction. He shared the following.

The “issue” LAS encountered at HAAA is a result of the City’s Sewer and Water Meter Permit Guidelines (Guidelines), which are the “rules” that Growth Management and Development Engineering use in reviewing and approving development throughout the City. These guidelines are established to ensure the City's storm system, sewer system, and drinking water system are of a standard/quality that meets the needs of residents and ensures their health and safety. The majority of LAS park development projects are site plan application-exempt. When we have a situation where we need to tie into the sanitary, storm, or water lines within the right of way, we need to obtain a permit through Development Engineering, as they need to be fully aware of the overall system and ensure it can operate safely.

Parks are seen as private developments. Development Engineering must enforce the Guidelines the same way across the board, whether a park, storage facility, school, gas station, etc. Treating parks (City-owned lands) differently would create some conflicts, and the development industry would be upset about why the City doesn’t need to follow its rules.

HAAA is connecting to a combined sewer system, and the Guidelines indicate that Catch Basin Maintenance Holes (CBMH) are not permitted where private property is connecting to a combined sewer system. This prevents the combined sewer from off-gassing (stinky sewer smell) into the private property. In the HAAA case, that would be off-gassing into the park, which makes sense; nobody wants that. LAS had proposed alternative routes to achieve this, but they were not in keeping with the guidelines, creating a conflict that Development Engineering could not support.

As per the City's development guidelines, we will require two structures at the locations of catch basins. One will be a maintenance hole (MH), and the other will be before a catch basin (CB). The purpose of the maintenance hole is to prevent gases from entering the catch basin. The maintenance hole will have a solid lid to “trap” those gases, while the catch basin will have a perforated lid to allow water to enter it.       

When looking at the HAAA Grounds and its proposed design, the following are some of the challenges the design team has faced and some of the approaches we have taken to address them.

• HAAA is built upon a clay base approximately 450mm below the finished surface. This clay base makes it difficult to address stormwater naturally, as the clay subsurface will not permit the stormwater to percolate into the soils and regenerate the water table. As private properties landlock the HAAA Grounds, LAS must address stormwater onsite.  Therefore, conventional stormwater management practices using catch basins and drainage piping are required to handle the accumulation of stormwater.
  
  
• This project site connects to a combined sanitary and storm sewer, meaning a single pipe will handle all stormwater run-off and household and business wastewater(e.g. toilets, sinks, showers, etc.). Sometimes, after a significant rain event, these systems have some off-gassing that can emit through the catch basin.  There is a maintenance hole on the downstream side to prevent these gasses from entering a catch basin.  This maintenance hole traps the gas and prevents it from getting to the catch basin and being released through its perforated grate. Unfortunately, as a result, two structures (maintenance hole and catch basin) are side by side in the landscape.  
  
  
• The westerly side of the proposed park includes many of the park's proposed hard surfacing, such as the basketball court, asphalt pathways, playground area, plaza space, seating areas, etc. These areas create pockets of green space that collect stormwater from the hard surfaces and divert it to a catch basin to ensure the areas do not flood. This stormwater then flows through a maintenance hole that filters debris and sediment (settles to the bottom) and then through a series of pipes to the combined sewer system within the roadway.
  
  
• When LAS looked at the easterly side of the park, which consists of the track and field area, they incorporated a Low Impact Development (LID) drainage system to address stormwater. This LID is a large tank buried beneath the field and has a large capacity to hold stormwater captured from the field area. As noted above, the westerly side diverts the stormwater to the combined sewer system, whereas the easterly side diverts it to this large tank below the field. This tank will fill with water and, when it reaches a certain point, will slowly discharge it through a series of pipes to the combined sewer system within the roadway. This reduces the amount of water flowing at one time to that sewer system, which will help reduce the burden on the overall system during those peak storm events.  

The key takeaways:

• HAAA Grounds connects to an existing combined sewer system, which poses challenges.

• The HAAA stormwater system has been designed to prevent the discharge of sanitary odours/gasses from entering the park.  Unfortunately, that requires more physical structures within the green spaces.
  
  
• We’ve incorporated LID measures to help lessen the burden on the existing combined sewer system during those storm surge events, reducing the stress on the City’s wastewater treatment plant.
  
  
• While the volume of water coming from HAAA is small when looking at the City as a whole, every litre counts as we continue facing challenges due to climate change (e.g. major storm events the week of June 15^th).

What the manager of LAS shared with us is indeed disappointing. The HAAA project saw more than 200 people actively engage in the project. That is an exceedingly high number of participants for a community-level project. We, in the Ward 1 office share the frustration of those who invested time and attention in the design planning. The LAS team is equally disappointed.

However, there are some advantages to delaying the construction to the Spring rather than starting later this fall. 

It’s estimated the construction of the HAAA Renewal Plan will take 8 months to complete. Construction will begin in Spring 2025. The considerations that have informed the decision to delay the construction to the 2025 season are as follows:

• Safety of School Students:
  The park will be closed to the public during construction, so starting in Spring will reduce the amount of time during the school year the HAAA Grounds are unavailable for Kanetskare School use and student walking routes.
  
  
• Traffic and Parking on Charlton Ave W:
  Starting construction in Spring will avoid any unnecessary disruptions to vehicular, cyclist and pedestrian traffic on Charlton Ave W during the Winter months when construction activity will likely be slowed or stalled, reducing the overall impact on the community. Parking will be impacted during construction regardless, but reducing active spots in the winter, when work may be disrupted, will inconvenience residents more than in the spring and summer months.
  
  
• Public Access:
  If it starts in Fall 2024, the 8 months of estimated construction activity would likely require the site to be closed to the public for almost 12 months due to expected inclement weather in the Winter months, slowing construction and extending the construction timeline. Starting construction in Spring instead means the existing recreational space will remain available over the Winter.
  
  
• Construction Efficiency:
  Starting in Spring will compress the time the park is under construction because exterior construction activities can usually be completed quicker during the Summer. Reducing the time the park is closed for construction will reduce costs for site security. Scheduling of work will likely be more streamlined with fewer inclement weather shut-downs

One thing we try to keep in mind regarding the HAAA park renewal is that because of the upper levels of government funding provided, the entire park can be addressed at once.  Most park masterplans take years to implement. For example, Churchill Park is still in the middle of its master plan, and Victoria Park had the last piece of its design implemented this year (spray pad and sun shelter). Both plans taking at least a decade to complete.

If you would like to discuss the construction delay further, please connect with us; we would be most willing to discuss it further. Email or telephone (905-546-2416)

Alexander Skate Park Update

Water is another theme of this newsletter. As HAAA is impacted in one way, Alexander is affected in another.

The Alexander Skate Park project has experienced unexpected delays due to higher-than-anticipated groundwater levels. Although there are no visible signs of water at ground level, the project requires excavation into saturated soil at depths of approximately 3.5m to install a drainage system for the skate park and accommodate the construction of the skate bowls. Despite two months of monitoring, the water levels have remained higher than initially estimated (~2.4m).

Landscape Architecture Services collaborates with the general contractor, geotechnical engineers, shoring specialists, and dewatering specialists to determine the best course of action. While this is a time-consuming process, it is crucial to ensure that the project can proceed logically and safely and result in a long-lasting finished product.

The project manager anticipates that the necessary studies and analyses will take approximately 12 weeks to complete, impacting the project schedule. Unfortunately, this means that the initial completion date of fall 2024 will not be achievable. At this point, the project will likely resume active construction in Spring 2025.

If you wish to discuss the impact of water on the project, please connect with us via email or telephone (905-546-2416)

York Boulevard and Cannon St W Construction

In case you missed it, the construction team recently presented the phasing and traffic management plan for the upcoming York-Cannon construction project, which began on July 8, 2024. The project marks a significant milestone for Ward 1, culminating in a decade-long effort to improve our community's infrastructure.

The construction work is poised to bring long-term positive impacts. Still, we understand it will pose challenges in the short term, particularly regarding traffic and accessibility within the Strathcona neighbourhood. Despite our efforts to notify residents through notices and signage, many residents may still be unaware of what the construction entails.

• 2024 construction: North side of York Blvd and Cannon St W,  July-December 2024.
• 2025 construction: South side of York Blvd, April-August 2025

Project Overview: Please visit the construction storyboard for an overview of the project phases and details.

2024 Construction Phases and Traffic Control Meeting Video (recorded June 24, 2024)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6nvv1aelNg

Design Meeting (recorded November 2, 2022)

https://youtu.be/8EOTu5f42cw?t=1

We encourage all residents to familiarize themselves with the project details and stay informed about the construction phases. Your patience and cooperation during this period are greatly appreciated as we work towards improving our community's infrastructure.

Events

• Westdale Live every Friday and Saturday evening, 5:00-8:00 PM in the Westdale BIA
  
  
• ArtsWest, courtesy of the Westdale BIA. August 9-11. 
  
  
• Sundays UNLOCKED courtesy of the Locke Street Shoppes. August 18 & September 22 from 10:00 AM-5:00 PM

Food, fun, music, and much more are available on a closed pedestrian, cyclist, scooter friendly street.

• Farmers Markets
  • Westdale FM every Tuesday from 4:00-7:00 PM, King St and Marion Ave
  • Locke Street FM every Saturday from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM, corner of Locke St S and Herkimer St

Ward 1 Infrastructure Updates

Multiple projects are taking place across the Ward. We have tried to encapsulate the information on a new web page.

Greener Ward 1

Let's do our part in Ward 1 to create healthy, biodiverse neighbourhoods for all living things!

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