My platform is based on long-term thinking that invests in our infrastructure and critical services
For far too long, Hamilton City Council approved budgets that kept property taxes artificially low, ignoring the long-term implications. Our roads have deteriorated, much of our water and wastewater infrastructure is past its useful life, our information technology systems were out of date and exposed to cybersecurity attacks, and emergency services weren't always available to respond when you called 911.
During this term of Council, I've supported investments that have gotten us back on the right path:
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We are tackling the $5.2 billion infrastructure spending deficit and have initiated investments that begin to close that gap while balancing affordability. For our roads, we need to spend roughly $110M annually to keep them in good repair. For many years, the City only spent as little as $10M, so a ~$100M deficit accumulated every year.
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We are midway through our Build Back Better plan to recover from the 2024 cybersecurity attack and build systems that are not only modern and efficient, but much more resilient in the age of increasing threats from cyber criminals.
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Emergency services have received funding they desperately needed to maintain service levels. The most dramatic improvement was investment in additional paramedics and ambulances to eliminate the 344 ambulance Code Zeros in 2022. (A Code Zero is when only one or zero ambulances are available to respond.)
Why did property taxes increase by
21.1% during this term of Council?
Between 2023 and 2026, consumer price inflation (CPI) in Ontario rose by a cumulative total of 14.9%, reflecting the general increase in the cost of goods for households.
It is not uncommon to hear the perspective that property tax increases should be pegged to CPI. That simplified perspective doesn't acknowledge the very different costs that municipalities experience, and the investments that are required to meet the services residents and businesses expect.
This brief overview illustrates cost pressures that impacted the City of Hamilton relative to CPI and necessary investments made during the current term of Council:
Provincial Downloading of Costs
Housing & Homelessness is a Provincial responsibility, yet Hamilton has had to fund $130M (66%) of the $196M spent on housing & homelessness in our city because the Province has not. The Province’s mandatory development charge exemptions amount to over $60M annually and must be paid for by property taxpayers. Hospitals, universities, colleges, and correctional facilities pay a $75 flat fee per bed or student instead of property taxes. That amount has not increased since 1987, so inflation erodes this revenue source each year. In 2026, the fee should be $178 (137% growth). That costs Hamilton over $8M annually. Overall funding for services mandated by the Province (Public health, Paramedics, Social Services, Housing etc.) increased by only 0.5% in 2026, so Hamilton taxpayers need to make up the difference.
Investment in Emergency Services
POLICE Hamilton Police added 115 employees (combined sworn officers and civilian positions) over this term of Council with an investment of $57M, primarily to maintain the level of service with modest service enhancements. The police budget is roughly 18% of the tax levy. Note that the Police operate at arm's length from City Council. Governance accountability rests with the Hamilton Police Board, and operational decisions are made exclusively by the Chief of Police. PARAMEDICS A lack of investment led to a record of 344 code zeros (when there is just one or zero ambulances available to respond to a call for service) in 2022. Council fixed that through annual investments to add paramedics and ambulances. The Paramedics have also improved processes and coordination with hospitals to deploy their resources more efficiently. FIRE DEPARTMENT An ageing and growing population, coupled with the need to catch up on investments to maintain response times and investments in new fire trucks and a new fire station, has resulted in a 20%+ increase in operating budget.
Municipal Cost Inflation
Cost to municipalities grew faster than consumer inflation. Costs to a municipality are quite different than those of a household. Collective agreements (labour), chlorine, aggregate, asphalt, concrete, etc. In fact, the Municipal construction index (focused on construction costs) grew at as much as twice the rate of consumer inflation during this term of Council.
Investment in Roads, Recreation & Information Technology Infrastructure
Necessary investments to keep our roads in a state of good repair have been absent from the City of Hamilton’s budget for decades. We’ve accumulated a greater than $1B spending deficit for our roads. On average, the City was spending as little as $10 million per year to maintain roads in a state of good repair when we $110 million was required. The result is that our generation has inherited bad roads without the funding to fix them. Beginning in 2024, this term of Council introduced a 10-year plan to close the annual spending gap, which is a material portion of the property tax increase during this term of Council. Non-core assets, which include recreation facilities are on a similar investment plan over a 25-year period. The long-term plans acknowledge the need for investment and affordability for property tax payers In February 2024, the City of Hamilton experienced a cybersecurity incident. Although it is difficult to fully fool-proof a large organization from a cyber attack, the historical lack of investment in IT infrastructure and best practices made the City highly susceptible to one. Council has approved a multi-year plan to modernize our IT network and adopt best practices. The plan includes accelerating the replacement of IT assets approaching their end-of-life in the coming years.
These 5 pillars will continue to guide my priorities
to move Ward 12 forward
(Expand each section to learn more)
Craig's Current: my in-depth monthly newsletter
I've kept the community informed with 60 issues of Craig's Current, my popular, in-depth email newsletter.
I will continue to keep you connected to the issues that matter.
Informative Town Halls and community engagement
-I've held regular town halls on a wide range of topics
-I've held many Cassar Where You Are events in local parks and spaces across the ward as an informal way to connect with residents in their own neighbourhoods
-My social media accounts have been a key resource to keep constituents updated with daily news and events
-The Ward 12 website has valuable information on development applications, the OLT process and a participation guide for residents, my public statements, a community safety map, and all back issues of my Craig's Current newsletter and map of your property tax dollars at work in Ward 12
-Councillor is much more than a one-person job, and I have two dedicated staff to answer your calls and emails and to speak with you in person at our Ancaster office at 300 Wilson St E
I will continue to be present in the community and listen to your thoughts, ideas, and concerns.
Continue fixing process and culture at City Hall
PROCESS: City departments often work in silos, are focused on narrow mandates, and are unable to view their work holistically. As residents and businesses, we don't experience our communities as city departments, so delivering services that way doesn't meet our needs.
I will continue my work to instill more holistic thinking and processes to improve the way that the City operates.
CULTURE: Transforming culture starts at the top, and that includes Councillors.
I will continue to role model leadership that exhibits respect, challenges the status quo, and pushes for continuous improvement.
Growth of industrial and commercial businesses
Hamilton needs to rebuild its industrial and commercial tax base as we transition from a heavy industry to a greater focus on knowledge and innovation. Major local investments from companies OmniBio, AtomVie, IKEA, and SucroCan are big wins from the current term of Council.
I will continue to support decisions that make Hamilton attractive to sustainable businesses that will provide employment and increase our property tax revenue, easing the pressure on residential taxpayers.
Drive efficiencies and cost reductions at City Hall
I've supported efforts to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and improve customer service. Examples include:
-An overhaul of our Planning Application process to make it quicker and simpler, saving applicants time and money
-A new customer portal to make your interaction with city processes easier
-Launch of a full business process review across the organization to root out waste and inefficiency
-The Build Back Better plan that makes long overdue investments in out-of-date computer systems that were inadequate to deliver the services you deserve and left us at risk for cybersecurity breaches, as we experienced in February 2024.
-I supported implementation of a Vendor Performance Management Process that now holds contractors to a higher standard
-I put forward a motion regarding the Garner Road construction project directing staff to perform a full project debrief so that the public has a full accounting of what went wrong and the lessons learned
-I put forward a motion requesting a business case for the $500M Airport Employment Growth District transportation master plan to ensure funds were invested wisely.
I will continue to hold the City accountable to follow through on this work.
Funding advocacy to senior levels of government
Hamiltonians are increasingly burdened by costs that were never meant to be paid by property taxes. As an example, this term of Council has stepped up to tackle the housing, homelessness, and mental health crises (Provincial responsibilities!) with $130M of annual investment. The Province only contributes around $44M. This is just one example of the downloading of costs. The public has been clear that people need to be housed, businesses need a clean and safe environment to succeed, and people need to be comfortable in their own City.
I will continue to support advocacy to the Province to pay its fair share.
It's important to know that funding from senior levels of government is often tied to commitments already made at the municipal level; we need to have skin in the game.
I will advocate for a grant writing specialist to improve Hamilton's access to available funding.
Champion our Agricultural & Innovation sectors
Hamilton’s agricultural and agri-food sector is a major economic engine, generating an estimated gross output impact of $1.3 billion and contributing roughly $580 million to Ontario's GDP
-I will continue to champion a frozen urban boundary that protects our prime farmland
-I support on-farm diversified uses that improve the financial viability of farm operations
-I support creation of a Rural Community Improvement Project Area that will enable rural businesses to access Hamilton's investment and incentive programs
McMaster University, Mohawk College, and Redeemer University are key anchor institutions that attract talent to Hamilton. Further, major local investments from companies like OmniBio, AtomVie, IKEA, and SucroCan are big wins from the current term of Council. Led by Steelport, we are well-positioned for large investments through redevelopment of the former Stelco lands into a hub for advanced manufacturing, providing a significant boost to Hamilton's economy.
I will continue to support decisions that make Hamilton attractive to top talent and sustainable, innovative businesses that will attract investment to our City.
Craig’s List - Support Local video series
Supporting local businesses is always important, but it’s absolutely critical in the current context of tariffs, threats to Canadian sovereignty, and general economic uncertainty. In this ongoing video series, Craig's List - Support Local has shone a spotlight on more than 20 Ward 12 businesses to encourage local shopping and keep money in our local economy.
I will continue to support local businesses.
Downtown Revitalization Strategy
Downtown Hamilton plays a foundational role for the entire city. If it succeeds, the rest of the City is set up for success. If it fails, those failures reverberate across all of its communities. In 2026, there are many factors creating challenges in our downtown core. The recently approved Downtown Revitalization Strategy is a robust and clear plan that coordinates efforts from the City of Hamilton, businesses, non-profits, and the upper levels of government to restore and rejuvenate the downtown into a vibrant economic hub that will benefit all Hamiltonians.
I will continue to support this strategy
Funding for Police, Fire, & Paramedics
I have and will continue to support funding for each of our emergency services to ensure they can provide the vital services that you deserve and expect.
At the same time, I will continue to challenge their spending requests to ensure that there is a return for each dollar invested, including finding ways to deliver services more efficiently.
Traffic calming on our neighbourhood streets
Requests for safer streets have been a top concern from residents. I've supported policies that have resulted in more than 60 traffic safety implementations throughout Ward 12 and have supported residents to bring traffic calming to their neighbourhoods when auto-centric evaluation methods failed them. I am also advancing work that will update policies to ensure safer roads are the outcome when they reach the end of their lifecycle and are reconstructed.
Further, I have used ward funding to enable the Daily School Route (DSR) to work with 200 Ward 12 students in 8 classes across 7 schools. Students map and evaluate their neighbourhood routes, providing great insight into safety through a child's eyes. I visited several schools with Dan from the DSR, joined neighbourhood walks where the kids shared their safety concerns and suggestions, and met with families concerned about their children's safety. The DSR will produce a final report with suggested improvements, and I will work with City Staff on implementation.
I will continue championing this work during the next term of Council.
Major investments to fix our roads
This term of Council is finally investing in our roads! Unfortunately, there have been decades of underinvestment that have left many roads in bad shape, impacting the daily lives of residents and businesses. For many years, annual spending on road maintenance has been as little as $10M when, in fact, we needed ~$110M to keep our roads in good condition. In 2024, this term of Council initiated a 10-year investment plan to close that gap, which makes up a big chunk of your property tax increase. Specifically, in Ward 12, where there are 326 lane kilometers of neighbourhood roads, the maintenance cost for those that are in very poor, poor, or fair condition is $77 million. Historically, there has only been funding to maintain arterial, collector, or rural roads, so our new investment plan has started to correct for that legacy decision. I am working on the investment plan with City Staff. In the meantime, 27 lane-kilometres of rural Ward 12 roads will be rehabilitated in 2026. Golf Links Rd rehabilitation is planned for 2028.
I will continue to support investment in our roads.
Decisions that are good for today and the next generation
Cities are complex, and any decision made by Council can have implications for many aspects of city life, both in the present and well into the future. Land-use decisions are maybe the most significant example. How land is used affects quality of life, transportation options, opportunities to access school, work, and recreation, affordability, GHG emissions, and the financial viability of the City.
I will continue to support infill development and sustainable communities that support positive outcomes on each of these dimensions.
Protection for our Heritage buildings
We are fortunate to have many heritage buildings in Ancaster & West Flamborough.
- During my first term, nine historical properties in Ward 12 have received the important protection of 'heritage designation'!
- Marr-Phillipo House will be preserved in the Ancaster Village Core
- Old Town Hall has received an exterior renovation
- My intervention on the Richardson Hyslop Frebold House, 243 Garner Rd E, prevented the developer-owner from allowing it to deteriorate
- As a result of my Council motion, the Troy Women's Institute is receiving heritage grant money to restore their building.
- Restoration of the Griffin House National Historic Site (Mineral Springs Rd) is underway
I will continue to support preservation of these valuable, historical properties.
Increase housing choice and affordability
As the population ages and home prices become more and more out of reach for many, we must provide more housing choices within existing communities. More choice means that seniors have more opportunity to age in smaller homes without moving out of their neighbourhood. It also means that young adults have a greater chance of finding a suitable home they can afford.
I will continue to support infill development that adds gentle density across Hamilton.
Faster, more connected, public transit
I supported investment into HSR NEXT, a generational improvement that will roll out over the next seven years. It will bring greatly increased service to Ancaster, including on-demand service in areas that do not have a fixed route. Businesses have told me that better transit is vital for employees to access jobs. Families and students have told me that better transit will improve their lives. Expanded transit will also move more people in less space and is a key part of addressing growing traffic congestion.
I will continue to support investment in HSR NEXT.