Dear Neighbours,

I hope you are all enjoying your summers and finding time for rest and enjoyment of being outside. We have experienced such a wide range of weather this summer, and it is a further reminder about the importance of integrating and investing in climate resilience in our city building efforts.

In the coming months, we have a number of opportunities for folks to connect with myself and the Ward 3 Office that I would like to share with you.

Ward 3 Office Pop Ups:

These are opportunities for residents to meet with me and my team one-on-one for support on issues or concerns you may have. You can find us at the following locations:

  • August 6th – 2-4pm at Myrtle Park
  • September 24th – 5-7pm at Birge Park

Bishop’s Park Community Meeting:

Historically, residents have requested that Bishop’s Park remain a greenspace as a means to best serve the community. I have recently received some requests for play structures to be installed at the Park. To that end, I have convened a community meeting as an opportunity for residents and Parks Staff to connect directly to discuss this.

The meeting is on August 13, from 6:30-8:30pm. It will be hosted online.

You can register by emailing ward3@hamilton.ca. There will also be a satellite location where folks who can’t access a virtual meeting from home, can gather to join in. My office is finalizing the location for this, and you can contact us directly to find out where it will be.

Community Pool Party

My office and I are planning to host a pool party and community gathering at Birge Park this summer!

This event will be open to all and will have light refreshments and activities for kids. Stay tuned and follow me on Instagram and Facebook for the announcement.

Addressing Homelessness and Managing Encampments 

Let me start off with acknowledging again, no one wants to see tents in City parks and not one member of Council believes encampments are a solution to the compounding crises we are facing as a city.

At the July General Issues Committee (GIC), I was able to successfully pass a motion to have staff look at parks that are currently under construction and make recommendations for changes to the Encampment Protocol that will allow for a city-wide approach to protect necessary investment in our parks.

At the next GIC, on Monday August 12th, we will receive a series of reports with recommendations from staff on encampments including updates to the Encampment Protocol and the possibility of pursuing sanctioned sites in order to help alleviate the negative impact to shared use of our local parks.

Sanctioned encampments have been tested in various municipalities across Canada and are proving to be an effective, temporary sheltering option with better coordination of services and supports to those living there. It would also be a better way to uphold the rights and dignity of unhoused neighbours until the required investments are made to enable more permanent housing solutions.

If Council decides to move toward a sanctioned site model that is operated by the Municipality with sectoral partners from health and social services, as opposed to a private interest, there will be a requirement for outcomes that may not exist in another model.

The Shift has put together guiding documents that creates a national standard on managing encampments. If we think about a well-run refugee camp, for example, we can see that there are already national and international standards that exist in providing dignified open air shelters.

I will be using these principles to guide my engagement and decisions on this topic when it comes to Council.

Should you wish to delegate to GIC in August on any of these issues, you can find more information here on how to do so.

Yours in Community,

Councillor Nrinder Nann