CAMPAIGN NEWS

Published by The Hamilton Spectator
Written by Mac Christie, Reporter
October 8, 2026

Hamilton mayoral candidates sparred over housing and homelessness in a sometimes-testy debate at the Westdale Theatre.

Incumbent Andrea Horwath, 2022 runner-up Keanin Loomis and activist Scarlett Gillespie locked horns on how they would deal with the burning issues at hand during Tuesday’s event.

Organizers of the forum, hosted by Hamilton is Home, a coalition of non-profit housing providers, told The Spectator they invited mayoral hopeful Rob Cooper but he declined, citing a prior commitment.

Horwath spent much of the debate defending her housing record over the last four years — including her controversial decision to use strong-mayor powers to advance a plan for affordable housing in a Stoney Creek parking lot, and her role in the overbudget, problematic Barton-Tiffany mini-cabins project.

Those modular units were a missed opportunity, said Loomis, adding the $5-million overrun could have been used to house more Hamiltonians through a better-quality “made-in-Hamilton” solution. 

While Horwath acknowledged the capital project had some issues, she said the system “actually works,” noting 60 people have now been permanently housed. She added “people were fired” over the project and the city has launched legal action against the company that provided the shelters.

Meanwhile, Loomis argued the Stoney Creek parking lot decision was “bungled from the beginning.” While noting it was not the right lot for the development, Loomis said if he had been mayor, any plan for affordable housing would have had political and community support from the outset.

However, Horwath said an affordable place to live “trumps cars” no matter what, adding building housing can be hard and unpopular, but leadership is about doing what’s “necessary to get the job done.”

The next four years is about building on the momentum from this term of council, she said, noting through her relationships she has been able to unlock funding from other levels of government.

This council term, Horwath said, the city has built 40 times more units than during the last one — more than 2,100, with “thousands more” in the pipeline.

But Loomis argued the city has experienced a “failure of leadership” on housing and homelessness under Horwath, saying the city needs to stop managing the crisis “one emergency at a time.”

He also noted the Salvation Army needs a more suitable location and an upgraded building for its downtown men’s shelter, arguing Horwath promised to lead on the file but was “nowhere to be found.”

As mayor, Loomis said, he’d build more homes faster, conduct a comprehensive review of the city’s development approvals system, and apply a housing lens to all major policies.

He also committed to delivering as many as 5,000 affordable housing units in his first term — a number that aligns with Hamilton is Home’s goal to build 5,000 affordable and supportive units by 2030.

Loomis pledged to put a portfolio of 1,000 units in front of Build Canada Homes, the federal Crown corporation established to accelerate the construction and financing of affordable housing across the country by Christmas, alongside Hamilton Is Home.

For her part, Gillespie said she is the only candidate who has experienced homelessness.

Gillespie, who lives in a CityHousing unit, argued the city needs to audit the municipal housing provider for vacant units, suggesting the number was higher than reported.

She also said she faced pressure to stop advocating for better conditions at CityHousing and suggested the city sue Premier Doug Ford’s government “where possible,” but didn’t specify why.

The city needs to adopt tenant advocacy group ACORN’s housing platform and improve support programs for renters, added Gillespie.