Ward 3 Community Update - October 31
Dear Neighbours,
Happy Halloween!!!
As we enjoy the last of the Halloween festivities, please remember to keep our streets safe for our trick-or-treaters. Tonight is a much anticipated time for children and youth to safely enjoy their neighbourhoods. Make sure to slow down while driving, keep walkways clear and well-lit, and make sure costumes are visible in the dark. And once the pumpkins start to wilt, consider composting them or placing them with your yard waste instead of sending them to landfill.
It has been a busy month at Council and I wanted to share some key updates and highlights; from advancing housing solutions and addressing environmental concerns, to championing creative community programs that support families and bring neighbours together.
I’m proud to confirm that Hamilton will continue the Vacant Unit Tax program into 2026. This is one of the tools Council is able to use to help ensure homes are lived in and not left empty at a time when too many residents still need access to safe, affordable places to call home. More details below!
My office continues to push the city forward on issues that matter deeply to our community including transparency and accountability in addressing black soot impacts in our lower-city neighbourhoods. Along with Board of Health members, we called for a process that centres residents’ experiences and ensures that community engagement happens where soot impacts are most visible.
Ward 3 is seeing movement on long-standing concerns like the demolition of unsafe buildings on King Street E, much needed roadway rehabilitation, as well as exciting opportunities like the renewal of Bishop’s Park and the long-awaited reopening of the Hamilton Children’s Museum in early 2026. Each of these milestones, and many others already achieved, reflect the collective persistence and care of our community, residents, city staff, and neighbours alike working together with my office for a safer, stronger, and more vibrant Ward 3.
There are many great opportunities coming up this season to celebrate what we love most about our city that I hope you will participate in: from Hamilton Day celebrations to the CPKC Holiday Train and opportunities to recognize outstanding community volunteers through the Order of Hamilton. I look forward to connecting with you there and at the various upcoming meetings in #OurWard3.
Thank you, as always, for your continued care, advocacy, and collaboration. It continues to be an honour for me and the Ward 3 Office Team to serve this incredible community.
Yours in community,
Nrinder Nann
VACANT UNIT TAX REPORT UPDATE
The Vacant Unit Tax (VUT) program that aims to ensure habitable homes are occupied with residents will continue in 2026 based on 2025 Occupancy declarations.
The VUT report discussed at General Issues Committee last week presented that a total of 4,534 properties were declared or deemed vacant to date, with 97.6% of all required residential properties completing their annual declaration form.
This means an overall vacancy rate of 2.5% of all residential properties required to file across the city.
The appeals process is working effectively, with 2,247 appeals submitted. Of those, 82.8% were approved, 2.2% were denied, and the remainder are still pending. It is clear that more property owners are now paying attention and requesting an opportunity to submit their declarations or initiate an appeal. As such, I moved to extend the deadline to Nov 30th, 2025. This means we won’t have final numbers until Spring 2026.
Administrative expenditures came in significantly lower than projected, even with expanded community supports, extended deadlines, and an expanded appeals process. Implementation costs totaled $930,000, which is well below the original $2.6 million estimate.
The program is forecasted to generate $15.6 million in gross revenue, with $12.54 million directed to the Affordable Housing Funding Program Reserve to support two key pillars:
1) the construction of new affordable housing units and,
2) the acquisition of properties to secure existing affordable housing.
Like other cities, Hamilton anticipates the number of vacant homes will decline as the program matures. In Ottawa, about half of its initially vacant properties charged the VUT were occupied by year two. What is clear from the data of every city that has run this program, is that it requires multiple years to achieve the goal of filling empty homes, enabling the program to come to an end. I believe, until that end goal is achieved, the City of Hamilton will need to continue with the Vacant Unit Tax. In facing the housing crisis, cities like ours have to use every available lever to be part of the solution.
I’m proud to have championed the Vacant Unit Tax along with many other solutions to address the housing crisis.
BLACK SOOT SAMPLING & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT UPDATE
I continue to raise the concerns of Ward 3 residents who have long been affected by the impacts of black soot across our neighbourhoods. I know how important it is that this work moves forward with both urgency and transparency, and that residents have a clear opportunity to be heard throughout the process.
Hamilton Public Health Services (HPHS) will lead the environmental sampling work and develop a community engagement plan once their environmental sampling plan has been received and approved by the Board of Health. HPHS has been in consultation with the City’s Community Initiatives (CCI) team, who have agreed to help design the engagement plan. However, CCI have confirmed that they do not have the staffing capacity to carry out engagement activities directly meaning the implementation of this work will rest with HPHS staff.
My preference is that Wards 2, 3, and 4 be consulted by the technical consultant before the workplan comes to the Board of Health. Our lower-city neighbourhoods have lived with these impacts for years, and their perspectives must inform both the technical and engagement approaches from the start.
I have also made it clear that community engagement must take place during the summer and early fall, when soot impacts are most visible and residents can actively participate. Engagement that happens during the winter months when snowfall interferes with both sampling and accessibility would not reflect the real-time experiences of our community.
HPHS staff are expected to report back to the Board of Health with the environmental sampling workplan in late Q4 2025 or early Q1 2026. Once approved, the development of the community engagement plan will follow. I will continue to advocate for a process that prioritizes meaningful participation and ensures residents are directly involved in shaping the work ahead.
TOYS FOR TICKETS PROGRAM
Following the success of last year’s pilot, Council has approved the implementation of an annual Toys for Tickets program in Hamilton. This creative initiative gives residents a one-week window each year to pay their parking penalty by donating a new, unwrapped toy of equal or greater value instead of a monetary payment.
All donations collected through the program will go to United Way Halton and Hamilton, helping ensure that families and children across our community experience a brighter holiday season.
The 2024 pilot program raised $4,841.19 in toy donations through 65 parking penalties valued at $4,187. Feedback from participants and the public was overwhelmingly positive, highlighting how the program strengthened community connection while improving the Hamilton Municipal Parking System’s public image and team morale.
Building on that success, City Staff will now make the program an annual offering, running for one week in November or December each year. A report summarizing donations and outcomes will be shared publicly in Q1 of the following year.
Programs like Toys for Tickets are a great example of how the City can think creatively about community giving, and how turning an everyday inconvenience into an opportunity can spread kindness and joy across Hamilton.
HAVE YOUR SAY: BISHOP’S PARK RENEWAL
About a decade ago, the Stinson Community Association led a conversation with residents about the future of Bishop’s Park. At that time, the message from the community was clear - neighbours wanted the park to remain a calm and tranquil greenspace. Since then, many new neighbours have come to call the area home. And, they have expressed a desire to maximize the small greenspace.
In 2024, we heard a range of perspectives from residents once again. Many continue to value Bishop’s Park as a peaceful community retreat, while others have expressed interest in introducing children’s play equipment, addressing seasonal maintenance concerns, others want a water fountain, and more folks want to see the existing trees to continue to mature on site. In addition to all of the above, the park’s infrastructure was also approaching the end of its lifespan making renewal of the park both necessary and timely.
In response to this feedback, my team and I met with members of the Stinson Community and Public Works staff last year to begin discussing potential park improvements and next steps. As a result of that meeting, staff identified the need for a formal public consultation process to thoughtfully plan for the park’s future and ensure any updates reflect the community’s vision.
I’m thrilled to share that Public Works staff are now ready to go live with a community engagement process for Bishop’s Park Renewal. We want to hear directly from residents about how to shape the future of this much loved park space!
You can share your feedback by completing the survey on Engage Hamilton at www.engage.hamilton.ca/bishopspark up until November 30, 2025.
I remain committed to keeping residents informed and engaged as plans develop, and to ensure that any future changes reflect the community’s shared vision for this special greenspace. I can’t wait for a revitalized community space in Stinson!
455, 457-459 KING ST. E UPDATE
I’ve been advocating for a permanent solution to the state of the 455 and 457–459 King Street East properties since the facade first fell off three years ago.
These properties have long posed serious safety concerns for residents in who live adjacent and the kids who go to St Patrick’s Elementary School across the street.
To recap my update from June 2025, after Council approved the demolition, further issues were uncovered, including asbestos, structural instability, and impacts on the neighbouring building at 461 King. These complications required additional funding and permits including a Corridor Development Permit from Metrolinx due to the site’s proximity to the future LRT corridor.
I’ve been in regular communication with City staff, consistently pushing for updates and progress because these buildings need to come down. Additionally, this is part of a larger motion I have been working on with the Mayor on the City’s outdated demolition by-law. Clearing sites like this and others is critical not only for community safety and walkability, but also for moving forward with positive, people-focused city building.
As promised, I am sharing an update on a recent motion I brought to the General Issues Committee (GIC) on October 22. While the bulk of the motion remains confidential, it does provide important direction to staff that should allow them to take necessary steps towards improving the public realm adjacent to the privately owned lands.
That staff take all measures possible to reopen the street and sidewalk adjacent to the properties as an interim safety measure, while facilitating demolition; and
That staff explore opportunities to incorporate public art into the temporary construction hoarding, in partnership with the Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board, Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board, and other cultural partners.
Staff have proceeded with this work this week.
Thank you again to the many residents who’ve continued to raise concerns about this site. Like you, I am frustrated it takes so long to deal with some private land owners. If this was a city property, it would have been already torn down with plans to redevelop it.
I look forward to bringing a further update by year’s end towards a more permanent solution.
WENTWORTH STREET PROJECT UPDATE
As I have reported before, this project falls within the LRT enabling works, meaning, the subsurface watermain work occurring here helps upgrade the infrastructure and moves capacity away from King St in advance of any constructive works for the LRT.
The Wentworth Street/Wilson Street/Sherman Avenue Project is well underway and there has been significant progress throughout the summer and fall. There have also been some delays as a result of utility conflicts with hydro and gas. Any responsive project design changes and relocation of utilities require approvals from the respective utility authorities and that timing is not accurately predictive for the city.
The Wilson portion of the project specifically has been impacted by these delays.
New Timelines
Here are some anticipated new timelines as it relates to Wilson Street:
Wilson Street from Wentworth to Sanford to be paved and open to traffic by the end of November 2025.
Wilson Street from Sanford to Birch to be paved and open to traffic by the end of December 2025.
The details of each leg of the project can be found on this web link. The timelines are not updated there and I’m not sure when that will get uploaded. That said, the project management team has committed to regularly updating adjacent neighbours via hand delivered notices.
Waste Pick-up and other site conditions updates:
The City appreciates the willingness of residents to adjust to different site conditions as a result of this project, such as, changes to municipal waste collection. When City services cannot access the site, things like waste pick-up become the responsibility of the contractor.
If you notice that your waste has not been picked up on the expected day, please call 905-546-4313 and it will be addressed.
Our office has also been passing on feedback on site conditions to City staff who in turn work with the contractor to review and address.
Update on Project Work Hours
There have been reports of construction activities starting before 7:00 AM. City staff have been working with the contractor to ensure that this does not occur as it against the project contract expectations. Additionally, By-law staff have been on site and will issue fines for any infractions going forward.
To report a by-law infraction such as noise, residents can visit the City of Hamilton’s By-laws & Enforcement website to register a By-law complaint.
To all the adjacent neighbours, thank you again for your patience as this major infrastructure project is underway. The period of construction is disruptive to our daily routine, however, the final completed project will certainly enhance the quality of life for all of us overall.
Again, if you have any concerns, please reach out and we will forward them to the project management team.
CHH TENANTS MEETING AT 430 CUMBERLAND, NOV. 27
I am proud to be hosting a meeting for the City Housing Hamilton tenants at 430 Cumberland to review the building assessment and upcoming servicing plan.
I want to ensure residents are aware of exactly what is planned for the building and when, as well as to provide an opportunity for residents to give input to the plan and raise any other issues related to the physical building that needs addressing.
Myself and all the appropriate CHH staff will be in attendance for this session on Thursday November 27 from 6pm-8pm.
More details and the draft agenda will be circulated at the building.
2026 GRAND REOPENING OF THE HAMILTON CHILDREN’S MUSEUM
It’s been a long time coming and I’m so excited to finally welcome the community back to the newly expanded Hamilton Children’s Museum right here in #OurWard3!
The team has done a remarkable job honouring the building’s heritage while creating even more space for creative play and learning. With its bright glass design, the museum now feels beautifully connected to the surrounding park and green space, offering new opportunities to explore and engage with the outdoors from inside the building.
Join us on Saturday, January 10, 2026, from 9am - 10am at 1072 Main St. E for a community celebration and tour of the renewed museum. The morning will include greetings from speakers, a sneak peek at the museum’s time capsule from the year 2000, and open visitation for children and their adults to explore this beloved community space.
I can’t wait to see this cherished Ward 3 treasure come to life again, and to share in the joy of discovery with families from across Hamilton!
HALLOWEEN PUMPKINS & YARD WASTE
With Halloween almost behind us, it’s time to think about how to responsibly dispose of your pumpkins. Rather than sending them to landfill, you can let pumpkins decompose naturally in your garden, where they will break down and enrich your soil.
Alternatively, clean pumpkins without paint, decorations, or candles can be placed in or beside a yard waste bag or container (but not in your green bin). This ensures that the pumpkins are properly processed as organic waste and keeps your yard waste collection safe and efficient.
For more information on yard waste collection and what can be included, visit Hamilton.ca/yardwaste. Taking these simple steps helps reduce waste and supports environmentally friendly practices in our community.
COMMUNITY SAFETY SUMMIT, NOVEMBER 10
On Monday, November 10, Mayor Andrea Horwath is inviting Hamiltonians to a Community Safety Summit, bringing together residents, community organizations, and local leaders to address community safety concerns and strengthen collaboration across the city.
Hosted by the City of Hamilton, the Summit will explore issues such as hate, gender-based violence, and youth and gun violence, while creating space for dialogue, learning, and shared understanding. Participants will hear from experts with the Hamilton Police Service and community agencies, take part in facilitated discussions, and help identify next steps toward a stronger Hamilton.
Together with the upcoming launch of the Community Safety and Well-Being Plan on November 20, the Summit reflects the City’s short-term urgency and long-term dedication to strengthening community well-being and inclusion across Hamilton.
Community Input Page
Residents can also share their feedback through the Community Safety Input page on Engage Hamilton, providing an additional way to share their ideas and feedback on community safety, helping to ensure a wide range of perspectives are included in shaping a stronger Hamilton.
Event Details
Date: Monday, November 10, 2025
Time: 8:30am – 3:30pm
Location: LiUNA Station, 360 James St. N., King George Ballroom
Additional details, including the registration link, will be shared shortly.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Jessica Chase, Director of Children’s and Community Services, at jessica.chase@hamilton.ca.
THE ORDER OF HAMILTON: NOMINATIONS NOW OPEN!
The City of Hamilton is excited to announce that nominations are now open for the Order of Hamilton, which honours exceptional voluntary service and contributions to community building.
The Order recognizes individual Hamiltonians who have made significant voluntary contributions that enrich the lives of residents and strengthen the community. Since its inception in 2019, 60 residents have been awarded this prestigious recognition.
Nominations can be submitted online at www.hamilton.ca/OrderofHamilton, or in person at City Hall, all Municipal Service Centre locations, and Hamilton Public Library branches.
The deadline for nominations is Friday, December 2, 2025, at 4:00 p.m. Recipients of the Order are recognized at the Mayor’s New Year’s Levee each January.
Take this opportunity to celebrate a Hamiltonian who has gone above and beyond to make our community stronger!
HAMILTON DAY, NOVEMBER 1-2
Come celebrate all that is local this fall during Hamilton Day!
Whether you're new to the city, visiting from out of town, or a long-standing local, Hamilton Day is a chance to support retailers, restaurants, artists, and services. Enjoy concerts, art shows, live performances, sporting events, local markets, shopping, and more. With so many local businesses participating, you can eat, play, and shop your way through the city.
Some Hamilton Day highlights include:
Kick-Off Concert with Georgia Harmer at Bridgeworks
Fruit Salad Halloween Dance Party
Journey to JUNOFest: Battle of the Bands
Hamilton Day AGH Free Admission
Hamilton Road2Hope Marathon
For the most up-to-date event information, visit the Hamilton Day website.
VIRTUAL RENTERS TOWNHALL WITH MPP LENNOX, NOVEMBER 5
Bill 60 is bad news for Ontario tenants. Join MPP Lennox, and others for a discussion on what Bill 60 could mean for you and how we can organize against it!
Register at: www.robinlennox.ca/rentertownhall
CPKC HOLIDAY TRAIN, NOVEMBER 20
Get ready for one of the season’s most magical sights when the CPKC Holiday Train rolls into Hamilton this November.
Bundle up the family, tell your friends to join, and enjoy the iconic CPKC Holiday Train. Returning for its 27th trip, the Holiday Train will feature beautiful holiday lights and live performances by Smash Mouth and JJ Wilde. Don't miss this classic holiday tradition to kick off the season.
For the full schedule and stop details, visit the CPKC Holiday Train website.
FREE THERAPY PROGRAM FOR RESIDENTS OF SOUTHWESTERN ONTARIO
At a time when many people are experiencing stress, anxiety, depression, and other mental health concerns, it’s more important than ever to know that support is available. Residents in southwestern Ontario can now access a free, structured therapy program designed to help manage and treat these concerns.
The Ontario Structured Psychotherapy West Region (OSP West) program is publicly funded and uses cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) to support individuals experiencing depression, anxiety, or related mental health challenges. The program is available to everyone, regardless of income, employment status, or OHIP eligibility, and participants can self-refer online for convenience and privacy.
OSP West is delivered by St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton and St. Joseph’s Health Care London, in partnership with community agencies across southwestern Ontario. To increase awareness and accessibility, the program has launched a public campaign featuring relatable images and messages that reflect the experiences of people struggling with mental health challenges.
Learn more and self-refer: www.ospwest.ca
Stay connected with the campaign and updates on social media:
Instagram: @stjoeshamilton / @stjosephslondon
Facebook: St. Joseph’s Healthcare and Foundation / St. Joseph’s Health Care London
LinkedIn: St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton / St. Joseph’s Health Care London
We encourage everyone to share this information with family, friends, or neighbours who could benefit from this free and compassionate mental health service.
If you have events or volunteer opportunities you would like the Ward 3 office to get the word out on, please email ward3@hamilton.ca.
Do you have any photos you are proud of from across the ward?
Share your favourite #OurWard3 photos with me by either sending them to ward3@hamilton.ca or by using the hashtag #OurWard3 on social media!
