Compare candidates

Cut housing costs via tax relief on new homes and $8.8B in development-charge relief.

• Tax relief on new homes plus development charge relief
• Protect blue-collar construction jobs

Confidence:High

Alford demands fair taxation: Ward 15 pays top taxes for worst services; opposes the stormwater charge hitting farms.

• Says Ward 15 pays some of Hamilton's highest property taxes while getting some of its worst services.
• Warns the incoming stormwater charge would cost agricultural operations tens of thousands annually.
• Either Ward 15 gets a fair share of what it puts in, or it stops being asked to put in more.

Confidence:High

Push harder questions on tax costs, program value and whether city programs deliver results.

• Evaluate existing programs for value before funding new ones
• Greater transparency on taxes collected vs services received

Confidence:High

Demand transparency on high property taxes and measurable reinvestment in the community.

• Transparency on where property tax money goes
• Reinvest tax dollars directly in the community

Confidence:High

Alford would seek a police services board seat and work with the new Parkside compound to restore community safety.

• Cites car thefts and a shooting on Wakefield and says Waterdown has no visible police presence.
• Would seek a position on the police services board.
• Would work with the incoming police compound on Parkside Drive to restore safety.

Confidence:High

Expand transit infrastructure to connect rural/suburban residents to downtown services.

• Expand accessible transit for ODSP recipients, fixed-income families, seniors
• End transit isolation cutting vulnerable residents off from services

Confidence:High

Make city hall responsive: clear service standards, accountability and follow-through.

• Clear service standards for acknowledgement and action
• Follow up and measure results after approvals

Confidence:High

Advocate for accountability so tax dollars return to the community with measurable results.

• Councillor accountability for reinvesting taxes in the community
• Measurable improvements from tax dollars

Confidence:High

Alford would bring project-manager discipline to Ward 15's construction chaos and hold contractors accountable.

• Points to simultaneous construction chaos: the bridge, Parkside and the long-delayed bypass.
• Would use project-management experience from large-scale operations to hold contractors accountable.

Confidence:High

Fix traffic congestion and road capacity in Waterdown; plan infrastructure where growth is.

• Address traffic congestion and road capacity through Waterdown
• Plan transportation and recreation around actual growth

Confidence:High

Continue investing in rural roads and bridges beyond the $150M committed by council.

• Build on council's $150M road and bridge commitment
• Support Rural Roads Task Group digital dashboard

Confidence:High

Fund low-income subsidized recreation passes and local food security infrastructure.

• Enhanced funding for subsidized recreation passes
• Localized community food security infrastructure

Confidence:High

Emphasize rural and farm economic development; agri-food is a $53B Ontario GDP driver.

• Prioritize rural and farm economic development
• Leverage agri-food sector employing 900,000+

Confidence:High

Alford would protect Ward 15 farmland and woodlands and pursue a Conservation Authority board seat to fight development.

• Would protect Ward 15's agricultural lands — "once it's paved, it's gone forever."
• Would investigate resident health concerns around Opta Minerals' 2023 expansion.
• Would seek a Hamilton Conservation Authority board seat to oppose provincial plans to develop woodlands and trails.

Confidence:High

Yaeger would strengthen the City Enrichment Fund if evidence shows it lags legitimate community need.

• Would not start with a predetermined increase; asks how demand changed, who is turned away, and what outcomes funding achieves.
• Would look beyond property taxes to provincial, federal, philanthropic and partnership dollars.
• Wants an inventory of underused city-owned spaces and cultural space considered in planning before displacement.

Confidence:High

Kovacs, a saxophonist, commits to strengthening the CEF with rural equity carve-outs and inflation indexing.

• A saxophonist who has performed across Ontario; treats cultural funding as an essential public-health utility.
• Proposes rural equity carve-outs: a protected share of grants for smaller, ward-based and rural organizations.
• Would push community benefit agreements requiring developers to include affordable artist space, plus subsidized city-venue rates.

Confidence:High

McMeekin: 'Without music and the arts, life is a mistake' — backs the Enrichment Fund and arts partnerships.

• Longtime Art Gallery of Hamilton supporter; cites the 'Bohemian Index' linking a viable arts community to a strong city economy.
• Consistently supported reviewing and strengthening the fund, with concerns about changing access protocols.
• Would build a process to identify available spaces and proactively partner in support of the arts.

Confidence:High