Happy New Year!

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and are feeling refreshed and ready for the year ahead.

Hamilton Public Library and the City of Hamilton’s Indigenous Relations Division are exploring the redevelopment of the former Canadian Marine Discovery Centre through the creation of a new library branch, Indigenous gathering space, cultural heritage exhibition space, café, and visitor amenities.

I’m excited to share that we’ve successfully opened a Request for Proposal to create the Discovery Centre Program Design and Development Study in partnership with a consultant. The Study will inform the repurposing of the building as part of the West Harbour and waterfront redevelopment. This is a significant step forward, and I’m looking forward to the opportunities it will bring as we move into this promising year.

We’ve heard that governance of the Study is critical to its success, and in 2024 we created a Steering Committee and Working Group to provide guidance and support. Terms of Reference and membership in both groups have been set. Members were drawn from City of Hamilton Indigenous Relations and Facilities Staff, Hamilton Public Library Staff, and the urban Indigenous community. Regular meetings of both groups began in the autumn. We also continue to provide regular updates to the West Harbour Development Sub-Committee and the Library’s West Harbour Site Vision Board Committee.

Significant engagement with the Indigenous community and consultation with the public is part of the work ahead. We’ve been grateful to attend several events through the summer of 2024 such as the PAANG Celebration of Growth, HRIC Pow Wow, and Open Streets Hamilton to speak about the project with members of the community.

As HPL develops the core elements of the Program Design and Development Study, we will gather input from interested parties through community consultation and provide regular updates. We aim to select a consultant to begin work in summer 2025, with a completed Study ready for Council review in 2027.

We would like to keep you up to date and continue to seek your feedback, advice, and support. To do this, please sign up for the email list to receive regular updates from HPL on this project.

Click this link to opt-in to receive future Discovery Centre Project and Study updates.

Please feel free to share the link with others in your network. More information can be found about the project at hpl.ca/discovery-centre as well.

HPL has identified one overarching goal for the site – the opportunity to advance social cohesion within the community by deliberately creating spaces, programs and services that attract people of all ages, cultures and economic backgrounds.

Please feel free to reach out with any questions or comments.

Wishing you all a prosperous and fulfilling 2025,

Paul

Paul Takala
CEO and Chief Librarian
Hamilton Public Library