Mayor’s Statement on “Team Hamilton” Working Meeting on Housing

HAMILTON, ON – Today, Mayor Andrea Horwath issued the following statement following her meeting on housing with local MPs, City Councillors and staff.

I want people of all ages and income levels to be able to build their lives, families and careers in Hamilton. That means we have to make this city more affordable for renters and homeowners and address the mounting pressures on the shelters and support systems that care for our most vulnerable residents. 

Keeping Hamilton affordable and vibrant requires an all-hands-on-deck approach, and so I was proud to host a working meeting today with all five of Hamilton’s federal Members of Parliament, along with City Councillors and staff. 

The Federal government is an essential partner for the City of Hamilton when it comes to maintaining our supply of affordable housing, building new affordable housing, and creating innovative solutions to our city’s challenges. 

I want to thank Minister Filomena Tassi (Hamilton West-Ancaster Dundas), Member of Parliament Chad Collins (Hamilton East-Stoney Creek), Member of Parliament Lisa Hepfner (Hamilton Mountain), Member of Parliament Matthew Green (Hamilton Centre) and Member of Parliament Dan Muys (Flamborough-Glanbrook) for their collaboration, leadership and commitment to Hamilton residents. 

Together, we discussed our City’s housing investment roadmap, Hamilton’s application to the Housing Accelerator Fund, and shared information about local challenges, opportunities and solutions that were raised by Councillor Nrinder Nann, President of City Housing Hamilton, Councillor John-Paul Danko, Chair of the Planning Committee and Councillor Brad Clark, Chair of Emergency and Community Services. 

The high cost of housing, along with rising interest rates and increased cost of living are making life hard for Hamilton residents, and I will continue to work with all levels of government to make real progress for our City. 

Thank you to City staff Jason Thorne, General Manager of Planning and Economic Development, Angie Burden, General Manager of Healthy and Safe Communities, Morgan Stahl, Director of Government Relations, Michelle Baird, Director of Housing Services, and Justin Lewis, Director of the Housing Secretariat, for their support of this working meeting and for continuing to push forward on these important initiatives.