Hamilton Public Works Committee Meeting

Hamilton's Public Works Committee discussed rail safety, waste collection, beverage container recycling, rural transit service, the McQuiston Park active transportation bridge, alleyway maintenance, and infrastructure reporting. Members approved motions supporting Rail Safety Week and expansion of Ontario's deposit return program, advanced work on the McQuiston Park bridge, and backed a report on unassumed alleyways. The committee also moved waste collection items into closed session before later supporting negotiations on a two-year contract extension with GFL Environmental.

Topics Discussed

Rail Safety Week

The committee backed Operation Lifesaver CN's Rail Safety Week campaign for Sept. 21-27, 2026. Members referenced 2025 national statistics showing 252 railway crossing and trespassing incidents, with 69 fatalities and 60 injuries. During the discussion, the chair said, "my nephew was one of those fatalities." Safety reminders included staying off railway rights-of-way, remaining alert near tracks and crossings, and obeying traffic signs and signals.

Waste collection contract and closed-session legal advice

The committee deferred public consideration of waste collection items LS26013 and PW26077 until after a closed-session discussion. Council later approved moving ahead with negotiations on a two-year extension of the city's garbage collection contract with GFL Environmental rather than issuing a new tender. Angela Story, director of waste management, told members, "Anecdotally out in the market it is suggested that a new collection contract could be 50% higher than than what you're paying now." Council also voted that "report LS26013 respecting legal advice regarding waste collection services be received and remain confidential," as stated by Councillor Crutch.

Deposit return expansion for beverage containers

A delegation from the Canadian Beverage Association asked the city to support expansion of Ontario's deposit return system to include non-alcoholic beverage containers. Delegate Shane Buckingham said, "Ontario stands alone as the only province in Canada that doesn't have a separate beverage container recycling program." He added that when beverage containers carry a deposit, "we see a sharp decline in litter rates and then we see a higher increase in the recovery of beverage containers as consumers are incentivized to take the container back to a depot and get their deposit redeemed." Committee members later approved a motion urging the province to implement a deposit return program for non-alcoholic beverage containers.

Rural transit service and HSR expansion

A delegate raised concerns about transit access in rural Hamilton, naming communities including Troy and Flamro. Acting HSR director Jeff Pjansky said, "We do have restrictions based on the urban boundary of where we can offer our services to," and added that "we do not have any services to some of those far-reaching rural areas like Troy and Flamro as you mentioned right now." Staff pointed to the seven-year HSR Next plan and an existing on-demand pilot connecting some edge areas to the fixed-route network.

McQuiston Park active transportation bridge

The committee considered the environmental assessment for an active transportation bridge linking the park area south of the Lincoln Alexander Parkway to Lime Ridge Road East and the transit terminal north of it. Staff said, "This has led to the final recommendation being for a new 80 meter long active transportation bridge following the eastern alignment with consideration for aesthetic design options." Staff added that the bridge "improves safety, encourages transit and active transportation use and has the potential to contribute to city placemaking." The class D cost estimate is approximately $7.75 million for the construction of the McQuiston Park Bridge. About 77% of that around $6 million is already covered through the federal investing in Canada infrastructure program. Construction is anticipated for 2030-2031, subject to future approvals.

Alleyway maintenance and unassumed alleyways

Committee members discussed service gaps for unassumed alleyways. Vince Fratzo, director of transportation, said, "when it comes to any form of maintenance, it's only the assumed alleyways where we provide a reactive level of service." He added that for unassumed alleyways, "unless there is a significant health or safety issue city staff do not in anyway address or maintain those particular locations." Councillor Maureen Wilson said alleyways matter more as the city grows, stating, "if we are pushing towards density yet we're not yet at the point where we're providing the infrastructure for people who are living in more dense environments then these alleyways become really valuable." The committee approved a motion asking staff to report back on the feasibility of a management framework and to consider "alternative community-led options for unassumed alleyways management," in the words of Councillor Tammy Hwang.

Fleet and infrastructure reporting

Members also discussed how staff report on project delivery and infrastructure performance. Councillor Cooper asked, "How what's the time frame for short-term, medium, and long-term?" On roads and sidewalks, staff said, "we also measure our compliance with respect to service levels as it relates to maintaining potholes and also deficiencies within the sidewalk." Councillor Maureen Wilson said a proposed KPI motion was intended to have staff report back "with a report on the feasibility of providing such a framework which would enable us to identify and subsequently measure our activity."

Motions

Passed - Rail Safety Week / Operation Lifesaver CN support - Waste collection contract extension negotiations with GFL Environmental - Ontario deposit return program expansion to include non-alcoholic beverage containers - PW25078A recommendation for more specific implementation timelines in future fleet reports - Amendments to Solid Waste Management Bylaw - PW2601 - McQuiston Park Active Transportation Bridge environmental assessment - Unassumed alleyways management policy and program feasibility report back - Item 10.3 - Community Food Garden Policy Review - Item 10.4 - Feasibility report on a key performance indicators framework for roads and sidewalks - Item 10.5 - Review and report on the City of Hamilton advertising bench contract

Deferred / procedural - LS26013 - Legal advice regarding waste collection services: deferred in public session, later received as confidential - PW26077 - Waste collection services contract extension report: deferred in public session until after closed session

Attendees

Councillors identified in the meeting materials or discussion:

• Craig Cassar
• Rob Cooper
• Tammy Hwang
• Brad Clark
• Maureen Wilson
• Esther Pauls
• Mark Tadeson

Other participants identified in the discussion:

• Jeff Pjansky, Acting Director, HSR
• Vince Fratzo, Director of Transportation
• Angela Story, Director of Waste Management
• Shane Buckingham, Canadian Beverage Association delegate