Councillors Update

Dayna, North End Resident and Reader

“I look forward to the always-prompt delivery of the next edition to my mailbox, and to receiving the email alerting me to its availability! I so appreciate that there remains a local community paper at a time when so many others have ceased publication. It’s been a great introduction to the North End!”

Kristina Santone

“Being a part of the North End Breezes board for the past two years has been a privilege. The team does amazing work within the community and serves as a resource hub for all. They are committed, and most importantly, passionate about preserving the North End’s legacy, while also continuing to foster its growth. Whether you are new to the area, or a longtime resident, I encourage you to volunteer with the Breezes in some capacity if you’re able. This team is small but mighty and they are always looking for more support. I’m grateful for the relationships and community I’ve been able to build while serving on the board.

I’ll be joining Welcome Inn as the Executive Director and look forward to taking on a new role in the North End Community while staying connected to The Breezes. “

I wish everyone in the North End a happy, safe, and healthy end to 2024. I hope you get to spend time with those you love most and have a chance to relax. I’m looking forward to 2025 and the second half of this term of Council as your local representative.

It’s been an exceptionally busy year, with many ups and downs. Together, we’ve made some important safety upgrades in the neighbourhood, and we’re planning many more in the years to come. We’ve also had a chance to meet on issues big and small at over 25 meetings with the public. In this term already, I’ve held more than 50 meetings with groups, councils, and residents at large. I’m proud of the work the Ward 2 Team and I have done to engage with residents.
This year’s focus for public meetings was on major issues impacting all Ward 2 residents with focused town halls on housing and development, safe streets, and climate change. We also held our first ever Ward 2 tenant town hall and the City’s first youth town hall. I’m grateful to everyone who showed up this year to meet with me in person, talk about the issues important to them, and voice their concerns.
I’ve heard from an unprecedented number of Ward 2 residents by email, phone, and on social media since I took office just over 2 years ago. It’s clear that residents want to engage with their elected leaders, want to hear from them regularly, and want more information about issues impacting them. I’ll admit, it’s been a struggle at times to provide as much clarity and consistent information as I’d like.
The City’s processes and procedures, often in place to ensure there’s accurate information shared by experts and professionals, have occasionally slowed down my ability to communicate. Simply put, sometimes I must wait to receive information before I can share it widely. In my role, I’m required to balance requests from residents who want speedier answers with the need to ensure our City staff have the support they need to do their work properly.
I will continue to provide information, updates, and answers as quickly as I can even when the process sometimes feels more onerous than it needs to be. I’m someone who is focused on good outcomes, and that’s what I ultimately hear North Enders care about as well.

As this issue of the North End Breezes will cover both December and January, please ensure you check out my Ward 2 Newsletter and social media accounts in the meantime for any more timely updates, including more details about the result of the two North End surveys for Strachan Linear Park and Eastwood Arena that closed in October. You can find recent issues of my newsletter, including a sign up link, at ward2hamilton.ca/newsletter.

The Ward 2 office will be closed from Sunday, December 22 through to Wednesday, January 1 and will reopen on Thursday, January 2. If you’d like to reach out to us, for any reason, please email Ward2@hamilton.ca or call us at (905) 546-2197. If you would like to reach me directly, or need something urgently addressed during our holiday closure, please send me an email at Cameron.Kroetsch@hamilton.ca.