Hamilton's Emergency and Community Services Committee Meeting

Hamilton's Emergency and Community Services Committee spent much of its meeting on Ontario Works administration, including overpayments, verification, caseload pressures and employment outcomes. The committee also approved changes to the city's Indigenous medicines ceremony policy, directed staff to report on opening outdoor pools earlier, received the Hamilton Fire Department's 2025 annual report, and discussed the Community Safety and Well-Being Plan, including rising youth crime.

Topics Discussed

1. ONTARIO WORKS: overpayments, verification and service delivery

Delegations and committee discussion focused on how Ontario Works is administered in Hamilton. Delegate Michelle McDonald said, "As a taxpayer, I find any overpayment to be egregious," and said the city's total of active and inactive overpayments had reached nearly $57 million by the end of 2025. Councillor Matt Francis similarly said, "The city currently has $57 million in inactive and active overpayments as of December 2025 and there's no plan to collect this."

Staff said Ontario Works income support is fully funded by the province, while administration costs are shared by the province and the city. The 2026 budget for the service plan is $14.38 million, with 222 full-time equivalent positions. Staff also said the province now handles much of the intake and initial eligibility process through its centralized portal before files are transferred to the city, which can lead to benefits being issued before local verification is complete.

Councillor Jeff Beattie questioned whether the city has enough oversight once files arrive from the province, saying, "I think what I'm struggling with is the fact that the system has changed so much." Staff said overpayments on active files are usually recovered at 5 per cent of a recipient's current benefit rate, though that can be adjusted in cases of hardship.

Staff also said Hamilton has adopted the Crown debt process for closed cases after Oct. 1, 2024, allowing debts to be transferred for provincial collection through Canada Revenue Agency tools. The Crown takes over the collection of that debt and when they do that, it becomes a part of Canada Revenue Agency. A fuller report is expected at the June 18 meeting.

2. ONTARIO WORKS: caseload growth, housing needs and employment outcomes

Staff reported Ontario Works caseloads remain high, averaging about 13,053 cases per month, roughly back to 2011 levels. Caseloads rose 9.9 per cent between 2024 and 2025 and remain about 25 per cent above pre-pandemic levels. Staff said roughly 945 to 950 clients each month are homeless or have no fixed address, and the average time on assistance is about 36 months.

Mayor Andrea Horwath said one of the pressures on the system is "The persistently low rates of assistance set by the province that are provided through the program. This rate has not been adjusted since 2018 and has not kept pace with inflation or rising living costs."

Committee members also discussed employment outcomes. The city reported a 5.2 per cent exit-to-employment rate, below its 10 per cent target. Councillor Tom Jackson said, "I'm very disappointed to see that first of all, we didn't even meet our 10% target. It was only 5.2%." Staff noted that employment services were removed from municipal responsibility in 2021 and now sit with Employment Ontario.

3. INDIGENOUS MEDICINES POLICY AND OTHER COMMITTEE ITEMS

The committee approved updates to make it easier to conduct ceremonial burning of Indigenous medicines at city facilities. Changes include reducing notice for planned use from five days to two days and broadening where ceremonies can take place.

Councillor Nrinder Nann said "the use of indigenous medicines is permitted in any city of Hamilton location unless otherwise already specified due to a scent allergy or sensitivity." The changes also remove the requirement to shut down HVAC systems for smaller gatherings.

The committee also approved Ontario Works student placement agreements and considered changes involving advisory committees and community liaison groups.

4. FIRE DEPARTMENT ANNUAL REPORT: incidents, smoke alarms and staffing

The committee received the Hamilton Fire Department's 2025 annual report. The report included the Jan. 26, 2025 fire at 35 Brock St. Hamilton Fire said, "Multiple rescues were made by firefighters of people who were trapped in smoke-filled stairwells. Three people sadly lost their lives, including two children. 12 others were hospitalized."

The department reported 388 working structure fires in 2025, a 29 per cent increase over 2024. Hamilton Fire also reported that "50% of residential properties that experienced fires in 2025 did not have working smoke alarms." Fire officials said the top causes of structure fires remained arson, smokers' materials, unattended cooking, and electrical or mechanical failure.

Chief Dave Cunliffe said the department automatically reviews serious fires for possible charges: "whenever we have a fire that impacts significant impacts people, injury, or fatality, automatic charge." The committee also discussed staffing pressures and future requests tied to station growth and service expansion.

5. COMMUNITY SAFETY PLAN AND YOUTH CRIME

The committee discussed the Community Safety and Well-Being Plan, including a dashboard intended to track safety indicators and support decision-making. Staff said the work is tied to the Community Safety and Policing Act and is coordinated with Hamilton Police and other partners.

Discussion focused heavily on youth crime. Acting Deputy Chief said, "We are seeing youth crime increased across the city. In 2021, we had 672 youth involved in occurrences. In 2025, it's a 67% increase, I believe, up to 1,111 incidents." He added that youth involvement in violent crime rose 69 per cent from 2020 to 2025.

Councillor Brad Clark described what he is seeing in his ward: "youth gangs that we did not have in the ward in past decades. We have them now." Councillors asked for clearer measures of success and more localized data on whether prevention efforts are changing outcomes.

Motions

• Ontario Works Service Plan presentation — Received unanimously.
• Indigenous medicines ceremony policy update — Carried unanimously.
• Ontario Works student placement agreements (Item 8.1) — Carried unanimously.
• Agenda items 8.2 and 8.3: advisory committee to community liaison group changes — Bundled together at Councillor Cameron Kroetsch's request; outcome not clearly stated in the notes.
• Outdoor Swimming Pool Expansion (File: HSC-26025-2025) — Staff directed to report on feasibility, operational implications, and estimated costs of opening some or all City of Hamilton outdoor swimming pools 1 month earlier than the current seasonal schedule.
• Wildfire Support Donation (File: 9.1) — Carried unanimously.
• Pat Quinn Parkdale Arena Sound System Replacement (File: 9.2) — Approved unanimously.
• King's Forest Golf Course urgent safety upgrades — Remained as notice of motion; to return in June.

Attendees

• Councillor Tom Jackson
• Councillor Tammy Hwang
• Councillor Alex Wilson
• Councillor Cameron Kroetsch
• Councillor Maureen Wilson
• Councillor Nrinder Nann
• Mayor Andrea Horwath