Hamilton mayoral candidates sparred over housing and homelessness in a sometimes-testy debate at the Westdale Theatre.
Incumbent Andrea Horwath, 2022 runner-up Keanin Loomis and activist Scarlett Gillespie locked horns on how they would deal with the burning issues at hand during Tuesday’s event.
Organizers of the forum, hosted by Hamilton is Home, a coalition of non-profit housing providers, told The Spectator they invited mayoral hopeful Rob Cooper but he declined, citing a prior commitment.
Horwath spent much of the debate defending her housing record over the last four years — including her controversial decision to use strong-mayor powers to advance a plan for affordable housing in a Stoney Creek parking lot, and her role in the overbudget, problematic Barton-Tiffany mini-cabins project.
Those modular units were a missed opportunity, said Loomis, adding the $5-million overrun could have been used to house more Hamiltonians through a better-quality “made-in-Hamilton” solution.
While Horwath acknowledged the capital project had some issues, she said the system “actually works,” noting 60 people have now been permanently housed. She added “people were fired” over the project and the city has launched legal action against the company that provided the shelters.
Meanwhile, Loomis argued the Stoney Creek parking lot decision was “bungled from the beginning.” While noting it was not the right lot for the development, Loomis said if he had been mayor, any plan for affordable housing would have had political and community support from the outset.
However, Horwath said an affordable place to live “trumps cars” no matter what, adding building housing can be hard and unpopular, but leadership is about doing what’s “necessary to get the job done.”
The next four years is about building on the momentum from this term of council, she said, noting through her relationships she has been able to unlock funding from other levels of government.
This council term, Horwath said, the city has built 40 times more units than during the last one — more than 2,100, with “thousands more” in the pipeline.
But Loomis argued the city has experienced a “failure of leadership” on housing and homelessness under Horwath, saying the city needs to stop managing the crisis “one emergency at a time.”
He also noted the Salvation Army needs a more suitable location and an upgraded building for its downtown men’s shelter, arguing Horwath promised to lead on the file but was “nowhere to be found.”
As mayor, Loomis said, he’d build more homes faster, conduct a comprehensive review of the city’s development approvals system, and apply a housing lens to all major policies.
He also committed to delivering as many as 5,000 affordable housing units in his first term — a number that aligns with Hamilton is Home’s goal to build 5,000 affordable and supportive units by 2030.
Loomis pledged to put a portfolio of 1,000 units in front of Build Canada Homes, the federal Crown corporation established to accelerate the construction and financing of affordable housing across the country by Christmas, alongside Hamilton Is Home.
For her part, Gillespie said she is the only candidate who has experienced homelessness.
Gillespie, who lives in a CityHousing unit, argued the city needs to audit the municipal housing provider for vacant units, suggesting the number was higher than reported.
She also said she faced pressure to stop advocating for better conditions at CityHousing and suggested the city sue Premier Doug Ford’s government “where possible,” but didn’t specify why.
The city needs to adopt tenant advocacy group ACORN’s housing platform and improve support programs for renters, added Gillespie.
First 100 day pledges
The candidates also made pledges regarding what they would do over their first 100 days in office – which Graham Cubitt, the president of Hamilton is Home, said the coalition would track and follow up on.
Horwath said she would build on what’s working, fix what isn’t and get the city’s next wave of housing “moving.” The mayor said she will convene a housing action table to find out what is and isn’t working and fix it.
She said she'd also release the next cohort of 10 municipal sites for affordable housing, including opportunities to co-locate housing with recreation facilities or other public facilities. Horwath added 10 sites were identified this term, three are moving and the city will “advance” the remaining seven.
Horwath said she would also pursue a social medicine housing model, cut approval times and make the city an official partner in the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s housing design catalogue.
Loomis said he would bring private and non-profit housing providers together with city staff to identify stalled projects and find out how to move them forward. Additionally, he'd work with council to identify suitable surplus land for affordable and supportive housing.
He also said he'd start building affordable housing and work with the Salvation Army on a new location and upgraded facility with no gap in service. Loomis said he'd report back to council by day 100 on projects that have moved forward, commitments secured, and work that is outstanding.
Gillespie said she would implement all of ACORN’s recommendations, including a maximum heat bylaw and free transit during heatwaves. She said she would improve the city’s housing emergency fund, expand rental licensing and maintain and improve tenant protection bylaws, as well as fix “old stock” buildings, rather than building new.
Hamilton is Home