Skip to main content

← Mayor

Rob Cooper

Candidate for Mayor

In their own words

This candidate hasn’t listed a campaign website or social account with the Town. That says nothing about them as a candidate — it just means less of their material is published online for us to summarise.

Where they stand

Every candidate in this race is shown against the same 16 issues, in the same order, whether or not we’ve found something for each one. Why we do it this way.

Housing

Will I be able to afford to live here?

Cooper set a goal of zero homelessness within four years.

  • Frames homelessness as mental health, drug addiction, trauma and violent crime.
  • Sets a goal of zero homelessness in four years, with details on his campaign website.
Show their words & source (reported remarks)
“And going back to homelessness, my goal in four years is zero homeless.”

Source: FULL TRANSCRIPT: Hamilton Mayoral Candidate Rob Cooper Answers 20 Detailed Questions on The 155 Podcast - TPR Hamilton · October 10, 2026

Confidence:High

Taxes & spending

What happens to my tax bill, and where does the money go?

Cooper would cap tax increases at the rate of inflation, arguing past tax hikes delivered worse services.

  • His plan is to cap property tax increases at the rate of inflation: never higher, sometimes lower.
  • Cites a 23% tax increase over the last four years alongside worse roads, violent crime and homelessness, arguing 'throwing money against problems' made life worse.
  • Criticizes city budgeting as having 'no actuals, no benchmarks, no peer data' and service levels from 2014, calling the budget 'a guess.'
  • Says he decided to run for mayor after being ruled out of order for trying to cap taxes as a councillor, being told only the mayor can set the tax rate under strong mayor powers.
Show their words & source (reported remarks)
“My plan is to cap taxes at rate of inflation, which means we're not going to exceed inflation.”

Source: FULL TRANSCRIPT: Hamilton Mayoral Candidate Rob Cooper Answers 20 Detailed Questions on The 155 Podcast - TPR Hamilton · October 10, 2026

Confidence:High

Emergency services

When I call for help, will it come fast enough?

Cooper names violent crime a top priority and wants Hamilton to be the safest city in Ontario.

  • Names violent crime as a top priority alongside taxes, citing indiscriminate gun violence including stray bullets killing bystanders.
  • Says Hamilton is 'unsafe and dangerous' and argues the problem must be defined before it can be fixed.
  • Wants Hamilton to be the safest place in Ontario.
Show their words & source (reported remarks)
“making our city the safest place in Ontario”

Source: FULL TRANSCRIPT: Hamilton Mayoral Candidate Rob Cooper Answers 20 Detailed Questions on The 155 Podcast - TPR Hamilton · October 10, 2026

Confidence:High

Transit

Can I get where I need to go without driving?

Not reviewed yet. Know something?

Government

Will decisions be made in the open, and will anyone answer for them?

Cooper prefers collaborative governance but would use strong mayor powers on taxes.

  • Prefers a collaborative model with councillors, with a mayor's-office staffer responsible for the mayor-council relationship.
  • Would use strong mayor powers on the tax rate if council pushed increases he opposed.
  • Would hire a 'transformational' city manager and, as a key hire, a Chief Human Resources Officer to fix culture, succession and compensation issues.
  • Wants neutral, trained chairs for council committees instead of the current rotating-chair model he calls dysfunctional.
Show their words & source (reported remarks)
“My preference is to work with the councillors.”

Source: FULL TRANSCRIPT: Hamilton Mayoral Candidate Rob Cooper Answers 20 Detailed Questions on The 155 Podcast - TPR Hamilton · October 10, 2026

Confidence:High

Roads & infrastructure

Will the things I use every day actually get fixed?

Fix roads and reduce congestion via a master road improvement plan.

  • Implement a master road improvement plan
  • Upload LINC and Red Hill Valley Parkway to the province, add lanes
Show their words & source (one sentence)
“Third, we need to fix our roads, reduce congestion and create the conditions for investment and good-paying jobs.”

Source: Mayoral priorities (CBC Hamilton Q&A) · September 24, 2026

Confidence:High

Economy

Will our main streets and local jobs thrive?

This candidate has spoken about this issue more than once. Each statement is shown with its own source.

Create conditions for investment and good-paying jobs to grow Hamilton's economy.

  • Make Hamilton competitive for business investment
  • Grow infrastructure that works for employers
“create the conditions for investment and good-paying jobs. Hamilton has tremendous economic potential, but we need infrastructure that works and a city hall that helps businesses invest, grow and create jobs.”

(a few sentences)

Source: Mayoral priorities (CBC Hamilton Q&A) · September 24, 2026

Confidence:High

Cooper: adopt Ontario Procurement Guidelines — judge bids on quality, local labour and lifecycle cost, not lowest price.

  • Adopt the Ontario Procurement Guidelines for city purchasing.
  • Judge bids on quality and lifecycle cost, not just the lowest initial price.
  • Factor in local labour, with 1,900 tradespeople out of work.
“We got to bring in the Ontario Procurement Guidelines and start applying it. It's not just about lowest cost. It's about quality. It's about local labour, which we have 1,900 people out of work right now. Tradespeople. It's about lifecycle costs, not just initial costs of capital.”

(reported remarks)

Source: The Public Record: The 155 Podcast transcript — Rob Cooper · October 8, 2026

Confidence:High

Think we’ve got this wrong?

Environment

Is the candidate protecting the nature we live in?

Evaluate data centres individually with safeguards; taxpayers must not subsidize them.

  • Assess proposals on evidence: benefits, water, power, environment, safety
  • Evidence-based municipal measures where gaps exist
Show their words & source (one sentence)
“Hamilton should evaluate proposed data centres individually and ensure appropriate safeguards are in place to protect residents and taxpayers.”

Source: Mayoral data centres (CBC Hamilton Q&A) · September 25, 2026

Confidence:High

Healthcare

Will there be a doctor and a hospital when we need one?

Not reviewed yet. Know something?

Growth & development

How fast should we grow, and who decides what gets built where?

Not reviewed yet. Know something?

Social & community services

Who looks after the most vulnerable residents?

Not reviewed yet. Know something?

Active transportation

Can I walk and bike safely around town?

Not reviewed yet. Know something?

Arts & culture

Does the candidate value what makes this place feel alive?

Not reviewed yet. Know something?

Data centres

Should energy-hungry data centres be welcomed here?

Not reviewed yet. Know something?

Water & waste

Is our drinking water safe and our waste handled?

Not reviewed yet. Know something?

Bylaw enforcement

Are the rules fair, and are they actually enforced?

Not reviewed yet. Know something?

Think we got something wrong?

Candidates and members of the public can both report a correction. Every one is logged and answered, and corrections about a candidate’s own positions get priority.

Report a correction about this page →