CRAIG CASSAR
Councillor for Ward 12 - Ancaster & West Flamborough
Ward 12 MID-TERM REPORT
Progress made during the first half of the 2022 - 2026 Council term
So you've read the Ward 12 Mid-Term report and want to know more? You've come to the right place. On this page, you'll be able to access additional resources for each topic in the report
Use these links to access more information on topics in the Mid-Term Report:
​ Road Safety
BONUS digital-only topics:
ROAD SAFETY
Review the Ward 12 Community Safety Map to see areas where residents have expressed concern about road safety. Updates are added to each item over time. If you have an area of concern not on the map, please email us about it: ward12@hamilton.ca
Are you concerned about road safety on Old Dundas / Old Ancaster Road? Read more about the largest-ever in-service road safety review conducted by the City of Hamilton.
Do you want to know more about traffic calming progress throughout the ward as well as steps being taken to improve safety at traffic roundabouts in the Meadowlands? Read more in the August 2024 edition of Craig's Current.
BUDGET 2024
Municipal budgets are complex and include funding for the many dozens of services the City provides. Two defining characteristics of this term of Council are the extraordinary downloading of costs from the Province and the massive increases in costs for everything from labour, to operational and maintenance supplies, and costs of construction on everything from roads to buildings to water infrastructure. I have dedicated a newsletter to each annual budget and will continue to do so in an effort to help the public understand how their property tax dollars are being spent
Here is the link to my newsletter page where you can access my 2023 and 2024 Budget newsletters.
I have also issued public statements about the 2023 Police Budget, and the 2024 Rate (Water, Wastewater and Stormwater) Budget and created an FAQ for the 2023 Operating Budget.​
STORMWATER FUNDING
For an overview of the decision-making process for the transition to a stormwater fee and more details on the incentives available to businesses, and the discounts, subsidies and advisory services available to residential property owners, please visit the City's Stormwater Page.
For a more thorough review of the decision to switch to a Stormwater Fee and the work involved, you can read through this detailed slide deck that was presented to City Council.
HOUSING & HOMELESSNESS
Housing is a continuum and the market is not providing anywhere near enough housing for many parts of the continuum. We're all familiar with new developments providing 'home ownership' options (new single-family homes or townhomes), and there are some purpose-built market rental projects in the pipeline, but we are severely lacking in the other forms of housing outlined in the graphic below.
You can read more about the Housing Continuum at: Whole of Hamilton Housing Approach
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The City of Hamilton's unprecedented investment (outlined in the above graphic) is part of the Housing Sustainability and Investment Roadmap. It's a comprehensive plan to address the many facets of the Housing and Homelessness crisis.
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Our single biggest challenge is the lack of funding from the Province. Housing is a Provincial responsibility, but we are not receiving anywhere near enough to deal with a problem that is only getting worse as rents and housing prices continue to be far beyond what many in our community can afford.
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Mayor Horwarth and the Big City Mayors have launched the Solve the Crisis campaign. Visit their page to learn more about how the Province needs to step up and to add your voice to the campaign.​
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We are very fortunate to have a coalition of non-profit housing providers Hamilton is Home who are working together (as opposed to competing against each other) to maximize the affordable and supportive housing built in our city.
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In the short term, the City recognizes the unprecedented homelessness situation. Council recently approved new funding ($12.1M annually) to create 192+ new temporary shelter beds (a 56% increase on the 341 that previously existed) and room for 80 people in outdoor shelters on vacant City land at Tiffany and Barton. We also approved $1.2M annually to make 45 additional shelter spaces permanent. Residential property taxes should not be burdened with the costs to tackle this crisis, but we have to do whatever we can to manage it with the resources we have.
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Should you observe encampments that require attention, please contact the Coordinated Response Team at unsheltered@hamilton.ca or call 905-546-2828.
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HOUSING TARGETS
In 2023, the Province assigned Hamilton a target for housing starts of 3,450. With our development partners, we achieved 4,421 units. In 2024, our target is 3,917, but to-date, because of a slowing market, only 1,632 (42%) units have started.
Over the past several years, the City has been undertaking the process of reimagining our neighbourhoods to enable the volume of housing we need. This plan will also increase housing choice and affordable housing options for Hamiltonians. The foundation of that work is the Residential Zones Project. The focus has been on low-density areas (i.e. single-family homes). In most parts of the city, it is now legal to have up to four residential units on a lot. These could be basement apartments, a garage renovation, or an ADU (see below). Work has begun on mid-rise residential zoning and will then proceed to redefining high-rise zoning. ​​
​One way to add density to existing residential areas is via ADUs. An Additional Dwelling Unit (ADU) is type of residential unit. It is a separate self-contained unit located on the property of a primary dwelling. The unit may be created within, added to, or detached from the primary dwelling. It is also referred to as a Secondary Dwelling Unit (SDU) within Zoning By-law documents.​
URBAN BOUNDARY & GREENBELT
Here are links to more information about the now-reversed Provincial land grabs mentioned in my report.
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7,400 acres removed from the Greenbelt including 1,964 acres in Hamilton
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History of the forced expansion of Hamilton’s urban boundary by 5,436 acres
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You can be involved by writing to urbanboundary@hamilton.ca and requesting to be added to the City’s email update list on this topic. Learn more by watching this recent webinar Defending Hamilton’s Firm Urban Boundary where I explain the real costs of urban expansion.
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You can also read more and watch the City’s explainer video at Engage Hamilton | Urban Boundary Framework
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The bottom line is that urban expansion is incredibly expensive and will materialize into a ballooning property tax bill. I am often asked 'why property taxes are so high?' A huge part of that answer has to do with the many decades of low-density urban expansion that has been a money pit for the City. In a nutshell, when you have to build lots and lots of new infrastructure to support low-density neighbourhoods that can't pay for themselves, you get increasing taxes and deteriorating services (e.g. bad roads) which is what we have in Hamilton.
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For a more detailed look at this topic, please enjoy this video playlist from NotJustBikes as they explain the revolutionary thinking of the Strong Towns movement.
GREEN BUILDING STANDARDS
More information on Green Building Standards can be found in this Staff presentation
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I also expanded on this topic in my October 2024 Craig's Current newsletter.
RURAL BROADBAND INTERNET
The motion I supported on rural broadband internet can be found here.
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I'll also provide you with the City's webpage for internet service where you can find locations of free City wi-fi and test your internet speed to other locations in Hamilton.
CLIMATE & ENVIRONMENT
So far this term, there have been many positive steps for climate action and environmental protection.
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Council has approved a Biodiversity Action Plan. At that link, you can read more about the BAP and even download the full plan​
In June 2023, Hamilton signed onto the Montreal Pledge for Biodiversity. ​
Council approved our new Urban Forest Strategy, a plan to double our urban tree canopy to 40% an provide all the benefits we will reap from a literally greener city. ​
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The City of Hamilton also has a new, Council-approved Watershed Action Plan. Over the past two centuries, it would be an understatement to say that we haven't taken care of our water. This plan outlines the way forward for a healthier watershed and a healthier city.
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As reported in the December 2024 edition of Craig's Current, 2024 climate mitigation and adaptation investments will reduce City of Hamilton emissions by 8.7% vs. 2023 levels.
NEWLY DESIGNATED HERITAGE PROPERTIES
Ancaster’s Heritage is a core part of its identity, so I am pleased to share that so far this term, these 6 properties have received heritage designations, ensuring their continued presence in our community. You can learn more about Heritage Properties, Permits, and Guidelines here.
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DEVELOPMENT IN WARD 12
Hamilton is a City undergoing constant change, and that includes Ancaster. As a creature of the Province brought into existence by Provincial legislation, the City is obligated to meet the Province’s housing goal for Hamilton of 47,000 homes by 2031. With a 2021 population of 45,720, Ward 12 is roughly 8% of Hamilton’s population (584,722 / 2021 census). That means the Ward’s share of growth would be 3,760 units or 376 per year. It can certainly be argued that other wards will overcontribute based on zoning enabling high density. An example would be the many new high-density developments in the lower city that are adding hundreds of units per project. However, the City cannot control housing creation by a ‘fair share’ formula across wards, which are just artificial boundaries separate from how a City functions and evolves. Each property owner is entitled to develop a property according to zoning rights for their lot. This means that developers can submit applications to build anywhere and everywhere in the city, including Ward 12, and the Planning Staff and Council must consider all applications.
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I have a dedicated page to active development applications in Ward 12 on my website
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The City creates zoning by-laws to determine what developments are permitted in each part of the City. As referenced in the ‘Housing Targets’ section above, new low-density zoning has been enacted across the City to allow for intensification in existing low-density neighbourhoods, including those in Ward 12. So, although we can expect more development in Ward 12, it will largely be gentle density and missing-middle housing, while main corridors like Main St, King St, Rymal Rd, and Barton St, etc. in the old City of Hamilton, will certainly be the site of the most intensification. Also, a transit corridor like Garner Rd and a community node like Wilson St in downtown Ancaster will be required to intensify. This likely means three to six stories based on what we can expect the Ontario Land Tribunal to allow. With this knowledge in mind, it is the City’s job to work within that range to ensure the development works for the community. Said differently, although the Province (via the OLT) can somewhat dictate the number of storeys permissible, the City can work with developers to ensure the design is suitable for the location.
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There are a record number of appeals to the Ontario Land Tribunal across the City, and it is no different in Ward 12. To simplify access to these appeals, I have created a dedicated webpage on my site under the Ontario Land Tribunal tab. You can read about OLT appeals in Ward 12 and you can find instructions on how to participate in OLT hearings you’re interested in.