• Aberdeen Avenue Resurfacing
• Implications of Bill 5 On Municipalities
• Help shape the future of Chedoke Creek
• YouthREC Week 2025
• Before and After-School Childcare Program Updates
• Hamilton's Outdoor Pools Now Open
• Textile Diversion Event
• Provincial Blue Box Recycling Proposed Retraction of Services
• LRT Virtual Open House Recap
• GO Bus Stop Changes
• Opportunities to Participate with Engage Hamilton
• Ward 1 Farmers Markets
• Events

Aberdeen Avenue Resurfacing

On July 7, 2025, King Paving (Contract C15-13-25(M)) will begin a resurfacing project on Aberdeen Ave (from Longwood Rd S to Dundurn St S). This project is anticipated to be substantially completed within 20 days, weather permitting. 

This work may involve: 

• Grinding of the roadway
• Complete paving of the roadway

Every effort will be made to minimise inconvenience for residents and road users. Still, some disruptions may occur, including dust, noise, and traffic restrictions, as crews work to complete this important project as quickly as possible. For the duration of the project, a City of Hamilton on-site inspector will be available to answer construction-related questions. Any questions can also be directed to the City at 905-546-CITY (2489). Information on lane occupancies and road closures are listed on the City's road permits site. 

This project aims to improve the road in the short term until the full reconstruction of Aberdeen Avenue begins in 2027. For more information on the full reconstruction project, please refer to a previous edition of our newsletter or the Ward 1 Infrastructure Updates section of our website.

We thank residents in advance for their patience and understanding as this project is completed.

Implications of Bill 5 On Municipalities

Bill 5, or the "Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act, 2025", received Royal Assent on June 5, 2025. This piece of legislation, introduced by the provincial government, may significantly alter how your municipality provides services in the future. The bill is considered an "omnibus bill", meaning it covers a diverse range of legislative changes all housed under one piece of legislation. Bill 5 made changes to the:

• Endangered Species Act,
• Environmental Assessment Act,
• Environmental Protection Act,
• Mining Act,
• Ontario Energy Board Act,
• Ontario Heritage Act, and
• Species Conservation Act

There are several key areas where Bill 5 may impact how municipalities operate. It is essential for residents to understand these changes and become more familiar with the level of government that now has authority for certain projects and actions in the province.

Special Economic Zones: Bill 5 permits the establishment of "Special Economic Zones". The Ontario cabinet can designate any location in the province as a Special Economic Zone, with no legal limitations on the location of such zones. Companies operating within a Special Economic Zone will be exempt from complying with provincial laws and regulations, including the Planning Act and the Occupational Health and Safety Act. Your municipal government will have no authority to prevent a Special Economic Zone from being established, nor will there be any municipal oversight or regulation of Special Economic Zones. There is no legal way for a municipality to stop, change, or adjust any aspect of a Special Economic Zone.

The Species Conservation Act: Bill 5 abolished the Endangered Species Act and replaced it with the "Species Conservation Act". This new act significantly narrows the definition of a "habitat" and gives the provincial cabinet the authority to overrule the province's independent scientific committee, which previously had the power to classify species as endangered or threatened. This means that the elected cabinet, rather than independent scientists, now has the power to determine which species deserve protection in Ontario. Your municipal government does not have the power to designate any species as endangered or threatened. The province may adjust the status of a species in a municipality, allowing development to proceed despite objections from the municipality or its residents.

Environmental Assessments: Bill 5 has made changes to the environmental assessment process for two significant projects in Ontario : the proposed Dresden Landfill and the Eagle's Nest mine in the high north of the province. These changes may result in increased demonstrations and protests from Indigenous peoples across Ontario who have argued that Bill 5 infringes on treaty rights. While this does not immediately impact the services provided by your municipality, this establishes a provincial precedent that would allow for similar exemptions to be applied in the future.

The Ontario Heritage Act, Bill 5, has made changes to the Heritage Act that will exempt certain developments from archaeological assessments if the provincial government deems the development to be related to transit, housing, healthcare, general infrastructure needs, or other priorities as designated by the government. This roll-back of a key reconciliation goal pursued by the provincial government following the 2006 stand-off in Caledonia means that developers no longer need to consider the Indigenous or overall heritage of a site before beginning construction. Your municipal government will not have the authority to mandate an archaeological assessment of a site if the provincial cabinet deems that one is not necessary.

Read the City's Planning Department information report coming to the Planning Committee on July 8, 2025.

These changes may affect the types of services provided by your municipality or the actions it can take to fulfil the wishes and meet the needs of residents. Municipal governments and elected officials do not have the authority to change these laws. Any concerns with Bill 5 can be conveyed to any one of Hamilton's five elected provincial representatives:

• Premier's Office 
• Flamborough—Glanbrook: Donna Skelly
• Hamilton Centre: Robin Lennox
• Hamilton East—Stoney Creek: Neil Lumsden
• Hamilton Mountain: Monica Ciriello
• Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas: Sandy Shaw

Help shape the future of Chedoke Creek: Hamilton invites residents to share their feedback

Shape the future of Chedoke Creek and its surrounding watershed through two Municipal Class Environmental Assessments (MCEAs) now underway. Residents' voices are essential to ensure that community values, local knowledge and public priorities are reflected in the final plans.

1. Lower Chedoke Creek Enhancement MCEA – Focuses on improving water quality and naturalising the creek between Highway 403 and Cootes Paradise.
2. Chedoke Creek Watershed Stormwater Retrofits MCEA – Focuses on enhancing stormwater management and water quality in neighbourhoods in the Upper and Mid Chedoke Creek watershed.

These studies are part of the City’s continued response to the combined sewage spill discovered in 2018. They are being carried out under a Ministerial Order from the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP).

YouthREC Week 2025

The City's Recreation Division is preparing for the fourth annual YouthREC Week, scheduled to take place from July 14 to 20, 2025. This exciting week is designed for youth aged 12 to 17 in Hamilton, offering a variety of free events and activities to help them develop skills and explore employment opportunities within the Recreation Division.

This program aligns with the 2022-2026 term of Council priorities: developing safe and thriving neighbourhoods. The event focuses on creating vibrant parks, recreation spaces, and youth engagement through participation and leadership.

YouthREC Week features a wide array of activities, including:

• Basketball tournaments
• Creative programming
• Employment workshops, such as resume-building, certification courses (e.g., Standard First Aid, CPR-C), and a youth employment fair

Events will be hosted at various recreation centres and parks across Hamilton, with both drop-in and registered options available.

Before and After School Childcare Program Updates

The Ontario province's Canada-Wide Early Learning and Childcare plan, now in its fourth year, has reduced childcare fees to $22/day for children aged 0 to 5. However, the plan does not address affordability for children aged 6 to 12. In response, the City of Hamilton introduced an Affordability Grant pilot in September 2023 for school-age children in before and after-school care. This pilot is scheduled to conclude in June 2025 due to changes in provincial funding.

Starting in September 2025, a new universal rate of $20 per day will be introduced, saving Hamilton families approximately $950 per child each school year. Additionally, the city will provide funding to childcare operators who increase their capacity for kindergarten or school-age children to address program waitlists. City staff are committed to creating an accessible, affordable, and sustainable childcare system and will continue consulting with the community as they implement the new rate.

Visit the City's childcare services page for details.

Hamilton's Outdoor Pools Now Open

The City of Hamilton’s outdoor pools have opened for the season. Pools will be open until September 1, 2025. 

Ward 1 offers two outdoor pools for your use: the Coronation Outdoor Pool, located at 81 Macklin St N in Westdale, and the Victoria Park Outdoor Pool, situated at 100 Strathcona Ave N in Strathcona. Schedules and programming times for those pools and others across the city are available on the City's outdoor pool page.

Textile Diversion Event

Textile waste, including clothing, curtains, linens, shoes, and accessories, makes up 2 to 4% of Hamilton's garbage stream, potentially amounting to 2,500 to 5,000 tonnes annually. In response to this issue, cities such as Markham and Toronto have implemented strategies to reduce the amount of textile waste sent to landfills. Hamilton is now taking steps to address this by testing the effectiveness of textile waste diversion through a dedicated event.

The City of Hamilton, in partnership with the Salvation Army, is organising a textile waste diversion event. The event will take place on Saturday, July 12, 2025, from 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM at the Kenora Community Recycling Centre, located at 460 Kenora Avenue East. Waste Management staff will be on-site to guide residents to textile collection areas. For more details, visit www.Hamilton.ca/crc

Proposed Retraction of Services for the Provincial Blue Box Recycling Program

The Blue Box Regulation (O. Reg. 321/91) under the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act, 2016 makes producers responsible for the paper, packaging, and single-use items they supply in Ontario. Recently, producers have raised concerns that the costs associated with the Blue Box program are higher than expected and have requested changes to the Regulation to reduce these costs. In response, the provincial government has proposed several amendments to the Regulation.

However, the City of Hamilton staff, along with other municipalities, argue that some of these proposed changes would undermine the environmental benefits of the Regulation and are inconsistent with its original intent. Additionally, the Province is proposing changes to the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act.

City staff issued an update to Council about the proposed amendments to the Ontario Government's Blue Box Regulation and the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act. These proposed amendments were posted on the Environmental Registry of Ontario for comment on June 4, 2025.

Issues specifically related to delaying recycling targets, removing planned expansion to multi-residential buildings and public space collection, reducing flexible plastic recovery targets, and allowing energy recovery to count toward diversion targets are counter to the goals and objectives of environmental sustainability.

Staff will continue to work with industry organisations such as the Regional Public Works Commissioners of Ontario Waste Sub-Committee and the Municipal Waste Association to advocate to the Province for a Blue Box program that best serves Hamilton residents. The goal is to ensure that the principles of reduction, reuse, and recycling remain at the forefront of waste diversion efforts, supporting a sustainable and circular economy for our community.

For those who wish to share their concerns or thoughts about the proposed changes, the following Members of Provincial Parliament are your direct voice to action.

• Premier's Office 
• Flamborough—Glanbrook: Donna Skelly
• Hamilton Centre: Robin Lennox
• Hamilton East—Stoney Creek: Neil Lumsden
• Hamilton Mountain: Monica Ciriello
• Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas: Sandy Shaw

LRT Virtual Open House Recap

On Tuesday, June 24, the Metrolinx Hamilton LRT Community Engagement Team held a virtual open house to discuss the status of the LRT project. A video recording of the presentation is available, along with a copy of the slideshow and a transcript of the virtual Q&A. If you have any questions, please contact Metrolinx's Hamilton LRT Community Engagement Team at [email protected].

GO Bus Stop Changes

Metrolinx has made changes to some GO Bus stops that may impact commuters in Ward 1. Beginning on June 28, the Main St. W at Poulette St. stop will no longer be served by GO Bus routes 11 (Lakeshore West bus), 16 (Hamilton/Union Express), 17 (Waterloo/Hamilton), 18 (Lakeshore West bus), 40 (Hamilton/Richmond Hill/Pearson), 41 (Hamilton/Pickering), and 47 (Hamilton/Pickering). GO Bus users are asked to use the active stops at Main St. W and Pearl St. or Main St. W and Dundurn St. S instead.

For more information on service adjustments, please visit the Metrolinx website.

Opportunities to Participate with Engage Hamilton

The Engage Hamilton portal offers residents an opportunity to participate in shaping the future of our city. Residents can provide important feedback, offer their unique insights, and help inform the direction Hamilton takes.

There are currently some opportunities to participate that may be of interest to Ward 1 residents:

• Yard Maintenance By-Law Review
  • As part of Hamilton's Biodiversity Action Plan, the City is reviewing and updating the Yard Maintenance By-Law to better support naturalized areas on private property, such as pollinator gardens, native plantings, and rewilded spaces. Feedback will be accepted until July 11, 2025.

Ward 1 Farmers Markets

Good things grow in Ontario! Ward 1's delicious and local farmers' markets have returned for the season. Stop by and pick up some local produce, chat with your neighbours, and meet the people behind your food. This year, Ward 1 has two weekly farmers' markets to choose from:

• The Locke Street Farmers Market - 260 Locke Street South (in the Locke Street Tire and Automotive Parking Lot) - every Saturday from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM
• The Westdale Village Farmers Market - King Street West @ Marion Avenue - Every Tuesday from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM

Events - Ward 1

Tour the Historic Kitchen at Dundurn

• Saturday, July 5, 2025, 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM 
• Location: Dundurn Castle, 610 York Boulevard
• This guided tour shares stories about the extensive history of the landscape, the restoration of the garden, and the hundreds of heirloom fruits, vegetables, and flowers now growing. Walk with your guide along manicured paths to smell the flowers and sample the produce. Tickets are $9 per adult, $7.75 per senior/youth, $5.50 per child, or $24.75 for a family. Get your tickets on the City of Hamilton website.

Cemetery Chronicles – The Historical Battles Tour 

• Sunday, July 13, 2025, 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM  
• Location: Hamilton Municipal Cemetery Gates, 777 York Boulevard 
• The Hamilton Cemetery is home to many incredible stories concerning wars and battles throughout the past few centuries. Come for a walk and learn about the Hamiltonians who fought in the World Wars, War of 1812, American Revolution, and many more. The Historical Battles Tour is free and will run rain or shine.

Sundays UnLocked

• July 20, 2025 & September 21, 2025 & October 19, 2025 
• Location: Locke Street South, between Hunter Street and Herkimer Street
• Come enjoy the sights, sounds, and shops of Locke Street South during this summer’s Sundays UNLocked Open Street. From 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM on the third Sunday of the month, Locke Street South will be pedestrian-only as Locke’s merchants and community partners take over the street for a friendly and fun festival. 

80 Years on: Learning from Hiroshima and Nagasaki

• Saturday, July 5, 2025, 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM
• Location: The Westdale Theatre, 1014 King St W, Hamilton, ON L8S 1L4
• Join the Hamilton chapter of the Japanese New Immigrants Committee for an evening celebrating the sister city relationship between Hamilton and Fukuyama City, Hiroshima, Japan and marking the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. The evening includes a screening of the documentary "The Vow from Hiroshima", a conversation with Setsuko Thurlow, O.O.C., and Karen Goodfellow, a Yosakoi dance, and Taiko drumming. This is a free event. Registration required; space is limited. 

Events - Explore Your City

HPL Author Series - Dawn Hill Live at the Hamilton Public Library

• July 10, 2025, 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM
• Location: HPL Central Library, 55 York Boulevard
• Join Six Nations' author Dawn Hill as she discusses her collection of autobiographical anecdotes and stories, Memory Keeper. This is a free event, but registration is required.

Salsa at the Station

• July 10, August 7 & 21, 2025, 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
• Location: Ferguson Station, 244 King St W
• Summer of Salsa Beginner Latin dance lesson: 6:00-6:45 PM, Mini Latin dance social: 6:45-8:00 PM

James Street North Art Crawl

• July 11, 2025
• Location: James St N between York Blvd and Murray St
• Come explore Art Crawl as James St N is pedestrianized and transformed into a community-wide block party between 5:00 PM and 12:00 AM

Park Crawl

• July 11, August 8, September 13-14, 2025
• Location: John Rebecca Park & Gore Park
• Park Crawl will activate both Gore Park (5:00-11:00 PM) and John Rebecca Park (4:00-6:00 PM) simultaneously on select summer days, offering attendees a variety of free and exciting family-friendly entertainment. The event will take place in both parks on June 13, July 11, August 8 and September 13 + 14.

Emancipation Day at Fieldcote

• August 1, 2025, 2:00 to 6:00 PM.
• Location: Fieldcote Memorial Park and Museum, 64 Sulphur Springs Rd
• August 1 is Emancipation Day, a celebration of the abolition of slavery across the British Empire and the resiliency of the Black Community in Canada. Everyone is welcome to participate in this celebration at Fieldcote Memorial Park and Museum, where live music, food trucks, and interactive games will be available from 2:00 to 6:00 PM.

Greener Ward 1

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

Ward 1 Infrastructure Updates

For up-to-date information on all the infrastructure projects happening in Ward 1, check out our Ward 1 Infrastructure Projects webpage.

Ward 1 Development Information

Here you can find general information on developments and their status in the planning process.

Follow along for timely Ward 1 Updates via:   

• Email: [email protected]
• Tel: 905-546-2416
• On social media: