Hamilton councillors to see staff report before possible encampment bans in some parks

Motions that sought to exempt immoderate Hamilton parks from bum encampments are now connected clasp aft metropolis councillors agreed to hold for unit to supply input connected whether it tin beryllium done.

City politicians voted unanimously to deploy 2 municipal divisions to study really an existing encampment protocol could beryllium altered to support tents distant from greenish spaces presently undergoing aliases group to acquisition redevelopment.

The inquire comes from Ward 2 Coun. Nrinder Nann, who insisted connected “a citywide approach” for imaginable encampment exemptions to debar reddish portion each clip a prohibition petition for a caller greenish abstraction comes forward.

Nann said she besides wants to cognize if exemptions could create an “over-concentrating” of encampments successful different areas owed to nan displacing of tents.

“I really want to perceive from unit astir really we tin thief mitigate those antagonistic impacts,” she said during a committee gathering Monday.

“It’s important from a argumentation model position for america to person that accusation anterior to immoderate different further motions coming from individual councillors regarding their circumstantial sites.”

The measurement fundamentally puts disconnected what appeared to beryllium a looming conflict betwixt councillors aft 3 leaders sought to support 4 parks encampment-free while upgrades are made to community-use spaces.

Sam Lawrence, Southam, Confederation Beach and Mountain Drive were nan parks 3 councillors had been seeking exemptions for amid multi-million-dollar approved redevelopments that are aliases will beryllium taking spot wrong nan adjacent year.

An existing exemption for a city-owned portion of onshore connected Strachan Street East betwixt Bay Street and Ferguson Avenue North was nan precedent for nan politician’s demands.

The projected Strachan Linear Park, adjacent nan city’s harbour territory and CN obstruction tracks, received exception during a projected conversion into 25 mini homes pinch supports for immoderate of nan city’s unhoused.

The shelter exemption was built into unit recommendations arsenic portion of a now-defunct Hamilton Alliance for Tiny Shelters (HATS) improvement and has remained successful spot since.

Ward 2 Coun. Cameron Kroetsch said he was grateful for nan compromise, which now puts nan matter into nan hands of metropolis staff, who he suggests person a amended grip connected nan problem, having already studied homelessness and its effects crossed Ontario and Canada.

“I cognize unit is alert of this evidence, has publication it, and I deliberation it’s important to person them measurement successful connected what they deliberation makes nan astir consciousness present concerning nan discourse successful nan remainder of our state and successful nan cities,” he said.

Ward 6 Coun. Tom Jackson, who had sought an exemption for Mountain Drive Park presently going done a two-year, $2-million redevelopment, supported nan unit study but didn’t retreat his motion.

“I’m consenting to defer excavation and powerfully support what I’ll telephone a discuss opportunity for unit to travel backmost successful August, but still would reserve nan correct to reintroduce my mobility … pending nan results,” Jackson said.

Hamilton’s wide head of nationalist works, Carlyle Khan revealed that 41 mini superior projects are ongoing successful nan city’s parks arsenic of July, pinch different 16 ample redevelopments and 10 “facility type” projects.

Staff from nan city’s parks section and lodging section will undertake nan study and are expected to study backmost during a wide issues committee successful August.