Affordable Housing

Landlords in three of the city’s 15 wards will need an annual license and an annual fire inspection, the city’s Planning Committee decided Tuesday on a 9-2 vote. The decision needs approval of the 16-member city council. The permanent licensing program builds on a two-year pilot project in the same wards, 1, 8 and 14, … Read more

Housing expert Steve Pomeroy at McMaster has just released a report that quantifies what’s needed to provide affordable housing for everyone. We need a double double—not two creams and two sugars in our coffee, but to double the existing supply of non-profit and co-op housing and then double it again. That’s what’s needed to eliminate … Read more

The city of Hamilton saw at least eight non-profit housing projects start construction this year. When all the projects are complete in 2027, there will be 569 new non-profit units. At least half will be deeply affordable, the rest low market rents. The projects include 40 supportive housing units that Sacajawea started in September on … Read more

City of Hamilton staff have written a really clear summary of the expected impacts on tenants of the provincial government’s recently approved Bill 60.  It is bad news. According to city staff:  The bill is “expected to increase evictions in our community, with the most significant impacts being experienced by those who are already most … Read more

The key message at our 10th annual National Housing Day service, from two tenant organizers, is that the fight to protect tenants never ends, but it does produce important victories.  Marc, co-chair of ACORN Hamilton’s downtown chapter, outlined the challenges of Bill 60—which was approved the next day. It shortens the time for tenants to … Read more