Rental Housing Protection Policy Review

Notice of Public Meeting of the Planning Committee

The Planning Committee is holding a Public Meeting under the Planning Act to consider establishing a Rental Housing Protection By-law and making changes to Official Plan policies that limit the conversion and demolition of residential rental properties with six or more units (rental housing protection policies).  Amendments are proposed to streamline the policies in the Urban Hamilton Official Plan and include the same policies in the former City of Hamilton Official Plan (applying to the West Harbour Secondary Plan area).

When:            Tuesday, June 18, 2024 at 9:30 a.m.
Where:          Council Chambers, 2nd Floor, City Hall, 71 Main Street West, Hamilton

To view the Report: The staff report, will be available on or after June 13, 2024 at www.hamilton.ca/MeetingAgendas

To Provide comments at the Public Meeting or Register as a delegation

You may submit written comments to the Legislative Coordinator, Planning Committee, City of Hamilton, 71 Main Street West, 1^st Floor, Hamilton, Ontario, L8P 4Y5 or by email to [email protected]. Comments must be received by noon Monday, June 17, 2024.  Any written comments received after the deadline will be included on the Wednesday, June 26, 2024 Council agenda.

You may also submit a pre-recorded video with your comments. Video Submissions are due by noon 2 business days before the meeting.

Oral submissions may also be given by pre-registering with the Clerk’s office. Members of the public can provide oral comments, no longer than 5 minutes in length, regarding statutory public meeting items. To register, members of the public must submit a Request to Speak form which can be found at www.hamilton.ca/RequestToSpeak. Interested members of the public must register by noon Monday, June 17, 2024.

To Request a Notice of Decision

If you wish to be notified of the decision of the City of Hamilton on the proposed Official Plan Amendments, you must make a written request to the Legislative Coordinator, Planning Committee, 71 Main Street West, 1^st Floor, Hamilton, Ontario, L8P 4Y5 or by email to [email protected].

Project Background

Rental housing is a key part of the City’s housing continuum and is a significant contributor to affordable housing options in the City. In addition to initiatives that create new affordable housing, it is important to maintain existing affordable units. This is one of the reasons why municipalities include policies in Official Plans that limit conversions of rental housing to condominium (ownership) tenure, and that limit rental demolitions, to maintain the limited supply of these units. 

The City has recently undertaken a review of its rental housing protection policies in the Urban Hamilton Official Plan and is proposing changes to its policy and planning process framework surrounding conversions of primary rental housing to condominium tenure and demolitions of primary rental housing. Policy changes proposed are intended to establish appropriate limitations to manage change and ensure protection for existing affordable rental housing units. 

The City is also proposing to establish a permit process for conversions and demolitions by passing a by-law under the Municipal Act. This is intended to be used as a tool to implement the Official Plan directions. The permit process has been identified as a key part of the City’s strategy that could strengthen protections for rental housing and provide a consistent process for applications to convert or demolish rental housing. It would also permit the City to attach conditions to a permit, such as requiring legal agreements for replacement units in a new development, providing tenant assistance, and other conditions.