SAFETY

A SMART, focused plan to make the heart of our city safer, more welcoming and ready for growth

Downtown Hamilton faces real challenges and we need to be honest about them.

But I don't believe in talking our city down. I believe in solving problems and building confidence in Hamilton's future.

Hamilton is not starting from zero. The City already has plans addressing community safety, homelessness and downtown revitalization. Police, outreach workers, businesses, health providers, City staff and community organizations are already doing important work.

The problem is what happens when all of those efforts meet on the street.

Responsibility remains divided across departments and organizations. Residents and businesses can be left trying to determine who is responsible. Social outcomes are measured separately from things like cleanliness, business confidence, storefront vacancy and perceptions of safety. And while Hamilton's downtown strategy looks ahead ten years, people living and working downtown need to see progress much sooner.

As Mayor, I will bring these efforts together through a Downtown Hamilton Integrated Safety and Economic Plan. Build one coordinated approach to making downtown safer, cleaner, more welcoming and stronger.

The goal is a downtown where vulnerable residents can reach help, families and visitors feel welcome, and businesses have the confidence to open, invest and create jobs.

Because these challenges are connected — and our response needs to be connected too.

1. CREATE ONE ACCOUNTABLE DOWNTOWN RENEWAL TEAM

Residents and businesses shouldn't have to figure out which City department is responsible for solving a problem.

City Hall needs to own the problem until it is solved.

As Mayor, I will establish a Downtown Renewal Team, led by one senior official responsible for coordinating the municipal work that determines whether downtown feels safe, clean, welcoming and open for business.

The team will bring together designated staff from homelessness services, outreach, public health, public works, transit, by-law enforcement, economic development, recreation and communications, with direct connections to the renewed HAIL partnership.

There will be one intake route for downtown businesses, residents and community organizations. City Hall will handle the internal routing instead of sending people from department to department.

Each case will have end-to-end ownership until it is resolved or transferred to a named community partner.

And the team will publish a first 100 days downtown work plan, followed by annual priorities and service standards.

One problem. One point of accountability.

2. BUILD A VISIBLE 'WELCOMING STREETS' SERVICE

Hamilton has already approved a Downtown Ambassador initiative.

I won't duplicate it. I'll make it more useful.

Under my plan, Downtown Ambassadors will be expanded into a highly visible, civilian Welcoming Streets service, operating during the daytime, evenings and weekends.

Ambassadors will:

• welcome and assist residents, visitors, students and customers;
• provide businesses with a reliable non-emergency point of contact;
• identify cleanliness, maintenance and public-space hazards;
• use trained de-escalation practices where appropriate;
• connect people experiencing homelessness, addiction or mental-health challenges with housing-focused outreach and other supports;
• escalate emergencies or serious criminal activity to the appropriate first responders; and
• help coordinate events, public-space activation and community participation.

The service will connect directly with Housing Focused Street Outreach, the Coordinated Encampment Response Team, City departments, BIAs, Hamilton Police and the renewed HAIL partnership.

A unified intake and case-management system will mean no wrong door: businesses and residents won't be expected to know which organization should handle a situation before asking for help.

And we'll measure whether it works, through response times, completed referrals, resolved public-space concerns, repeat calls at chronic locations, business and resident confidence, pedestrian activity and downtown commercial occupancy.

3. BUILD A REAL PATHWAY OFF THE STREET

A welcoming downtown cannot be achieved simply by moving vulnerable people from one block to another.

Everyone deserves dignity. Everyone deserves safety.

That means pairing firm and fair management of public spaces with credible pathways into appropriate shelter, treatment, supportive housing and permanent homes.

Hamilton's existing coordinated-access systems will be used to identify people downtown based on vulnerability, length of homelessness and repeated crisis contacts.

For people with the most complex needs, housing, health, outreach and Indigenous partners will work together through HAIL around one stabilization plan and a named case lead.

The plan will improve connections to appropriate indoor spaces, including low-barrier, accessible, couples-friendly and pet-compatible options where feasible.

HAIL partners can help provide mobile nursing, medication support, wound care, hospital-to-housing discharge planning and tenancy-stabilization supports where clinically appropriate and voluntarily accepted.

We'll establish clear escalation routes for people experiencing acute mental-health or substance-use crises and advocate to the Province for the treatment and supportive-housing capacity Hamilton needs.

And we'll measure success by successful placements, housing stability and fewer repeat crisis contacts — not by how many people have simply been moved from one location to another.

Compassion cannot mean accepting unsafe public spaces. And enforcement alone won't solve homelessness.

Leadership means doing both: restoring order and creating a credible pathway to help.

4. GUARANTEE CLEAN, SAFE AND WELCOMING PUBLIC SPACES

Downtown sidewalks, transit stops, parks, alleys, parking facilities and civic spaces should reflect the pride Hamiltonians have in their city.

The Public Space Safety Standard in my SMART Plan will be applied throughout downtown, with published location assessments and corrective plans.

That means:

• clear response standards for needles and hazardous debris, threatening or hate-motivated graffiti, broken lighting, damaged street furniture and blocked accessible routes;
• high-frequency cleaning and inspections based on use and demonstrated need;
• improvements to lighting, sightlines, wayfinding, accessible walking routes and access to public washrooms in priority locations;
• carefully selected public-safety beacon pilots only where an assessment demonstrates need, followed by evaluation of usage, response times, accessibility, effectiveness and cost;
• better coordination of public works so individual blocks aren't repeatedly disrupted by unrelated projects; and
• public reporting of unresolved hazards and completion rates.

Downtown will be the first concentrated demonstration of how our city-wide Safe Public Spaces approach can work.

Safety you can see. Leadership you can measure.

5. BRING STOREFRONTS, JOBS AND INVESTMENT BACK DOWNTOWN

Public safety and economic growth aren't separate responsibilities.

When people feel safe, they visit. Businesses invest. Storefronts open.

As Mayor, I will create a downtown business concierge to help businesses navigate and coordinate municipal permits, inspections, available incentives and problem-solving — without changing the rules or approval standards.

We'll publish a storefront vacancy inventory and work with property owners to return long-vacant spaces to productive use.

We'll create pathways for temporary retail, arts, community and entrepreneurial uses while permanent tenants are being secured.

I will work to target existing Community Improvement Plan incentives toward occupied storefronts, upper-storey housing and projects that create lasting assessment and employment.

Through HAIL, major employers, developers and property owners will have a transparent way to contribute funding, temporary space, below-market leases, services, employment opportunities or expertise to approved downtown projects, without receiving approvals, contracts, service priority or influence in return.

Where HAIL-supported funding is used, matching resources will support projects with a defined public purpose, clear milestones and independently reported results.

And we'll work to grow Hamilton's nighttime economy through predictable permitting, safe transportation options, lighting and partnerships with venues and hospitality businesses.

A safe downtown is a stronger downtown.

6. FILL DOWNTOWN WITH PEOPLE AND PURPOSE

Strong public spaces are places people actually use.

I want downtown Hamilton to be a regular destination for families, students, workers, seniors, visitors and residents from across our city.

We'll build a year-round calendar of markets, performances, recreation, cultural programming and family-friendly activities.

We'll make it easier for BIAs, neighbourhood organizations and cultural groups to activate underused spaces through small grants and simpler approvals.

We'll work with downtown institutions, colleges, universities, arts organizations and employers to increase daily activity.

We'll program civic spaces throughout the day and across all four seasons, while improving seating, shade, lighting and accessibility.

And we'll extend our Safe Routes to Public Places approach through downtown — addressing gaps in lighting, sidewalks, crossings, winter maintenance, visibility and wayfinding along routes connecting transit, schools, parks, libraries, recreation and civic destinations.

Hamilton should also confidently market downtown for what it has to offer: restaurants, arts, waterfront connections, events and independent businesses.

We can acknowledge our challenges without allowing them to define us.

7. PUBLISH RESULTS RESIDENTS CAN SEE

I don't want Hamiltonians judging downtown renewal by how many programs we launch, meetings we hold or dollars we announce.

Residents and businesses deserve measurable results — not plans and reports that simply document the problem.

We'll publicly track:

• response and resolution times for public-space hazards and downtown assistance requests;
• voluntary service connections, shelter and housing placements, housing retention and repeat crisis contacts, while protecting personal privacy;
• HAIL resources contributed and the results of funded projects;
• storefront vacancy, business openings and closures, employment, foot traffic, commercial assessment growth and business confidence;
• perceptions of safety among residents, visitors, workers and businesses; and
• whether initiatives are succeeding, need improvement or should be stopped.

A public dashboard will be updated quarterly.

And each year, the City will publish a State of Downtown report identifying results, missed targets and the corrective actions being taken.

Because accountability isn't simply telling people what government is doing.

It's showing them whether it's working.

Downtown Hamilton can come back

I believe in downtown Hamilton.

Being optimistic about our city's future doesn't mean ignoring its challenges. It means confronting those challenges honestly, using evidence, bringing the right people together and taking responsibility for getting results.

A Mayor has a responsibility to solve problems and to build confidence in the city they're asking families, businesses and investors to believe in.

That's the leadership I'll bring to City Hall.

We'll make downtown safer.

We'll help people reach the support they need.

We'll make public spaces cleaner and more welcoming.

We'll bring activity, businesses and investment back.

And we'll publicly measure whether we're succeeding.

Downtown Hamilton can come back.

A safe downtown is a stronger downtown.