Statement from the City on status of preparatory sediment dredging work at Chedoke Creek

Hamilton, ON - The City of Hamilton has paused preparatory sediment dredging work at Kay Drage Park work while it continues discussions with members of the Indigenous community and the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP).  

On August 18 and 23, 2022 community members arrived on site at the Kay Drage Park Bridge, which is being used for contractor access to the work site, where the Dredge Material Management Area (DMMA) was being constructed. The community members indicated they represent the Haudenosaunee Confederacy Chiefs Council (HCCC) and stated they were exercising their treaty rights to attend the site. Work at the site is now paused and a restart date is to be determined.

The City’s contractor had begun mobilizing equipment and preparing the DMMA at the end of July 2022, with the initial plan to begin the targeted dredge work in late August. The work is in response to an order the City received from the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) in December 2020 as a result of the Main/King combined sewer overflow discharge that occurred between January 2014 and July 2018. The goal of the order is to improve the condition of Chedoke Creek and Cootes Paradise.

The City has consulted with local Indigenous nations as part of the project, and that engagement is ongoing. City staff have also been working with the Haudenosaunee Development Institute (HDI) regarding their request for an Environmental Monitoring Agreement with the HDI for the project, and those efforts are ongoing. The City also continues to consult with the MECP regarding what is required, and has updated MECP staff with respect to the work stoppage and the status of the project.

City staff are continuing to meet and discuss options with all key stakeholders to determine best way forward that enables the City to meet the MECP’s requirements under the order.