SUBMITTED BY WARD 2 COUNCILLOR
CAMERON KROETSCH
This has been a difficult time in our community. Tensions are higher than any of us want them to be and many are concerned they’re not being listened to carefully enough.
That’s why I want to talk about how we got here and what we can do to work together moving forward.
As you know from my last update, a site for the HATS pilot was recommended to Council by City staff on August 18. That announcement caught many of the North Enders by surprise. Even though it was a very public process, in hindsight, I should have done more to ensure residents not following Council decisions closely knew what might happen. While I understood staff’s process, I didn’t know, until early August, which site staff would definitely be recommending. As soon as the Council decision was made, I began to organize a meeting in the North End to share details and to hear from residents, which took place on August 26.
If you attended that first meeting, you know it was pretty emotional. Residents came forward with many questions, stories, and concerns. Over the 2 hours, I explained the process and my position on staff’s recommendation, and Council’s unanimous support for that decision. I listened deeply and, while emotions ran high, I wasn’t directly threatened.
By the next meeting on September 11 at the Bennetto Community Centre, things had changed. Heartfelt concerns were now being expressed as anger. Some people were assaulted and corporate security reported serious violent threats using misogynistic and homophobic language, vowing to do the Mayor and I harm if we showed up in person. City staff was screamed at by individuals who were not there to listen. The majority of attendees didn’t behave this way, but the meeting was stopped because of the threatening actions of a few.
On my way to join the meeting, I was advised by the City’s Corporate Security officials and members of the Senior Leadership Team that my attendance would risk escalating matters, putting myself and other attendees in greater danger. The Mayor was told the same thing. That’s why neither of us attended the public discussion portion of the meeting scheduled to begin at 8:00pm, just following the HATS open house. People who say otherwise are not telling the truth.
In the week that followed, I was briefed by the City Manager and the City’s Head of Corporate Security. Both said my safety and the safety of the public would be at serious risk if the Ward 2 Durand Neighbourhood Town Hall was held in person.
I didn’t want to move the meeting online, but I took their professional advice and held our first online Town Hall.
I think what’s happening now in Ward 2 and in our City isn’t about HATS anymore. It’s no longer about the location of a pilot project to provide shelter for 25 homeless people. There are groups of people whose sole focus is to foment hate. We should all be concerned deeply about this threat.
Given the complex issues we’re facing, there will be difficult discussions to have in Ward 2. For example, I’m hearing about many other issues from North Enders recently from event issues in Pier 4 Park, saving the Sunset Garden, pedestrian safety on Burlington Street, the rollout of the encampment protocol, progress at Jamesville, and the future of Pier 8. I’ll be sharing more information about these and other items in future updates.
We won’t always agree on solutions, but let’s agree to treat each other with honesty, empathy, and respect. Just the way North Enders treated me and each other for over two hours at a recent meeting of the NENA Planning Committee on September 18.
As someone who ran on a platform of transparency and engagement, I won’t let a few hateful agitators stand in the way of the amazing work we can accomplish together during this term of Council.
I appreciate the support from so many of you for me and my family. I continue to listen to your concerns and to your ideas, even when we might disagree.
As always, please reach out to the Ward 2 Team anytime at Ward2@hamilton.ca or through our office phone number at (905) 546-2197. We’re in the office Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 8:00am to 4:00pm; Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:00am to 8:00pm; and Saturdays from 10:00am to 2:00pm
