The 2014 Hamilton municipal election occurred on October 27, 2014,City Clerk's Office, City of Hamilton Corporate Services. "Municipal Election Information" , City of Hamilton (Accessed June 12, 2012) to select one mayor, fifteen members of the Hamilton City Council and members of both English and French public and Catholic school boards.City Clerk's Office, City of Hamilton Corporate Services. "Municipal Election Candidates" , City of Hamilton (Accessed June 12, 2012) As per the Ontario Municipal Elections Act, nominations opened on January 2, 2014, and closed on September 12, 2014.Government of Ontario, "Municipal Elections Act, 1996", S.O. 1996, Chapter 32. Four new councillors were elected in open seats across Hamilton, while all incumbents who stood for re-election returned to office. Though marked by a steep decline in voter turnout, this election was historic, as it saw the election of Hamilton's first openly gay and first radicalized members of city council.Samantha Craggs, "What new city councillors want: LRT, wider roads, the environment", CBC Hamilton, October 29, 2014.
Issues Ward boundary reform Following a decision by the 2006–2010 council to put off examining electoral reform in Hamilton until after the 2010 election, the 2010–2014 council heard a staff recommendation for moving forward on redrawing ward boundaries. They moved to defer the issue to a later date, which would see the city miss the deadline of December 31, 2013 set by the Ontario Municipal Board for having district changes implemented before the municipal election in 2014.Dreschel, Andrew. "Council tosses ward review forward; Inner city lacks representation, but councillors are willing to wait", Hamilton Spectator, April 11, 2012, Opinion, A15.
Councillors provided a number of arguments for and against the plan to redraw ward boundaries, most notably highlighting the discrepancies between councillors in terms of the number of constituents represented, with Ward 7's councillor representing 64,000 constituents and Ward 11's councillor representing 14,000, and the $340,000 cost to taxpayers for maintaining a new council seat.
In April 2012, a number of community activists began circulating a petition that aimed to force councillors to act on the issue of ward boundaries. A provision in the Municipal Act states that residents of a municipality can actively seek to change ward boundaries by collecting 500 signatures of registered voters and submitting them to their respective city council. Municipal officials then have 90 days to act on the matter, following which, the petitioners can appeal to the Ontario Municipal Board if the decision rendered by their council is unsatisfactory.Dreschel, Andrew. "Petition aims to force council's hand on voter parity; Activists signing up supporters in campaign to review Hamilton's ward structure", Hamilton Spectator, April 18, 2012, News, A1. That same month, the Spectator published an editorial stating their position on the issue, calling for a public debate on the matter of ward boundaries and Hamilton's 'democratic inequality'.Elliot, Howard. "Don't put off debate on redrawing wards", Hamilton Spectator, April 21, 2012, Weekend Reader, WR6. The petition was officially submitted to the city on April 23, 2012.City of Hamilton, "Ward Boundary Reform Petition", April 23, 2012, http://www.hamilton.ca/NR/rdonlyres/BDD21066-695E-4D1B-A709-E9934F5B0BC5/0/Jun25Item51.pdf
In response to the growing pressure from the community on the issue, councillors Terry Whitehead (Ward 8) and Scott Duvall (Ward 7) co-authored a piece outlining their reasoning for not supporting redrawing Hamilton's ward boundaries, noting that the costs associated with doing so would be prohibitive and that, with the area's projected growth for the coming years being considerable, it would be irresponsible for them to engage in a discussion about ward boundary revisions before the 2014 vote.Whitehead, Terry and Scott Duvall. "Ward boundaries are about more than 'rep by pop'; Timing, cost, effectiveness and community are all factors in representation debate", Hamilton Spectator, April 25, 2012, Opinion, A17.
By June 2012, councillors had decided to commit $260,000 to a study that would examine boundary reform in 2015, with a proposal to come forward regarding changes for the 2018 municipal election.Reilly, Emma. "Councillors commit to ward boundary review; Study to conclude in time for 2018 municipal election", Hamilton Spectator, June 26, 2012, News, A1.
The Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board attempted to reallocate the ward boundaries for trustees in 2013, suggesting a number of alterations that would have alleviated some of the pressures on representatives. Bound to 11 trustees divided across Hamilton's 15 wards, the necessity to combine wards caused controversy among sitting trustees.Teri Pecoskie, "Plan to realign wards would 'ghettoize' poorer schools", Hamilton Spectator, Monday, December 9, 2013 The proposals suggested would have created two large wards each represented by two trustees and merged Wards Two and Three, which drew criticism from community groups.Michael Borrelli, "School Board Denies that Objections Were Raised to Joint Ward 2/3 Trustee", raisethehammer.org, November 27, 2013 Trustees eventually decided to task the 2014–2018 board with examining ward boundary reform after city council redraws boundaries.Teri Pecoskie, "Board learns lesson, no need for ward change", Hamilton Spectator, Tuesday, December 10, 2013
Proposed casino In 2012, the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation sought to consult local governments on the location of new casinos across the province. At the city's lottery and gaming subcommittee, Councillor Sam Merulla (Ward 4) called for a referendum to be held concurrent with the 2014 election to determine whether citizens were supportive of a casino being located in the downtown core. The call for a public vote was supported by leader of the Ontario New Democrats Andrea Horwath and opposed by Ancaster—Dundas—Flambrough—Westdale MPP Ted McMeekin.Reilly, Emma. "Horwath, Merulla double down with call for casino referendum", The Hamilton Spectator, Thursday, October 11, 2012, News, A1
A poll commissioned by the Hamilton Spectator indicated that 56% of Hamiltonians opposed a casino opening in the city, with a majority of disapproval coming from residents in the city's west end and more support coming from residents of the mountain.Buist, Steve. "56 per cent oppose Hamilton casino: Spec poll", Hamilton Spectator, Saturday, October 20, 2012, News, A1. The OLG rejected the idea for a referendum due to time constraints, leading the city's lottery and gaming commission to opt for telephone polls and public meetings to decide on the issue."Casino subcommittee opts for polls, forums for public input", The Hamilton Spectator, Thursday, November 1, 2012, News, A3
Light rail transit Since 2008, city council and Metrolinx, the transit agency responsible for projects across the Toronto and Hamilton areas, have been developing plans for a new rapid transit system in Hamilton to ease congestion on the city's Hamilton Street Railway (HSR) system. Early discussions resulted in a rapid transit feasibility study that pointed toward light rail transit (LRT) as the preferred system."City pressing forward on light rail transit", Hamilton Spectator, July 28, 2008 In September, 2008, a city-commissioned survey found that 94% of Hamiltonians surveyed supported investment in rapid transit with 66% supporting LRT, 8% favouring bus rapid transit (BRT), and 20% endorsing either option."Vast majority support a rapid transit system", Hamilton Spectator, September 22, 2008
Plans for an LRT system moved ahead in 2008 when Hamilton City Council endorsed what became known as the BLAST network, an acronym for the 5 lines that would comprise Hamilton's rapid transit system."Hamilton to push for LRT", Hamilton Spectator, October 20, 2008 Despite original hopes that the provincial government would cover the entire cost of the project, research began to show that the city would be responsible for approximately 15% of the costs."City LRT bill could hit $150m", Hamilton Spectator, February 9, 2009 Consultations began across the city and included McMaster students and community groups to poll locations for stations and train frequency."McMaster, city to consult students and faculty over LRT station", Hamilton Spectator, September 9, 2009
Community groups quickly established positions on the issue. Both the Downtown Hamilton Business Improvement Area and the International Village BIA stated their support for the project, though they expressed concerns about the possibility of closing part of King Street East to automobile traffic. Gord Thompson, a local pawn shop owner was quoted as saying, "When you talk about closing down the street from Wellington, that's the entrance to the business area and that scares the hell out of us.""Downtown businesses oppose LRT route", Hamilton Spectator, January 12, 2010 At the same time, a poll of McMaster students found the campus to be extremely supportive of the project, with 85% of students who did not use transit regularly indicating they would begin using the HSR more frequently if an LRT line was available."Light rail transit line finds support on Mac campus", Hamilton Spectator, January 14, 2010
In August 2010, BRT advocates began pushing of the city to reconsider their commitment to LRT, citing lower costs and case studies from other municipalities."BRT's less costly, more efficient, say advocates", Hamilton Spectator, August 23, 2010. These claims were challenged by urban planners, economists, and some local business owners who believed the long-term economic benefits of LRT far outweighed the initial costs and infrastructure expenditures.Meredith Macleod, "Light rail beats buses hands down: planners", Hamilton Spectator, August 23, 2010
During the 2010 election campaign, then-candidate Bratina announced his support for the city to push for construction of the A-Line route from LIUNA Station on James Street North to the John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport in Mount Hope. Then-mayor Eisenberger and former mayor DiIanni endorsed the existing plan.Dan Nolan, "Bratina for airport rail line", Hamilton Spectator, October 20, 2010
After the election, the city updated their BLAST plan to reflect the concerns made by the community, which brought more business leaders on-side with the plan.Meredith Macleod, "Merchants celebrate new LRT plan", Hamilton Spectator, December 11, 2010 In 2011, though, all non-essential work on LRT was halted, prompting Ward 2 councillor Jason Farr to submit a motion requesting council reaffirm its support for LRT.Emma Reilly, "'Just looking to do the right thing', Farr wants LRT back on track" , Hamilton Spectator, August 11, 2011 In September, Bratina told CHML host Bill Kelly that LRT was not a priority, though the city was not abandoning plans to implement rapid transit.Meredith Macleod, "Chances of LRT one in a million?" , Hamilton Spectator, September 1, 2011 During the 2011 provincial election, then-Premier Dalton McGuinty told the Hamilton Spectator that he and Bratina had been corresponding about the mayor's preference for increased funding for GO Transit service into the city.A ndrew Dreschel, "Mayor Bratina may be GOing rogue", Hamilton Spectator, September 29, 2011