Candidates Talk A.I.

The Hamiltonian recently reached out to all candidates currently registered on the City of Hamilton’s website who have provided a public email address.

We posed simple, open-ended questions:

Hamiltonians want to know what you think about A.I. Is Hamilton handling the issue the right way? What are your thoughts on the recent vote at City Council and the broader debate surrounding A.I. in Hamilton?

Our intention is straightforward: to give candidates an opportunity to share their views, in their own words, on the role of artificial intelligence in Hamilton and how the City is approaching this rapidly evolving issue. There are no prescribed positions and no right or wrong answers. We want to hear what candidates think. Responses will be added as they are received and presented in alphabetical order by the candidates’ last names.

Daly, Mark- Councillor Candidate Ward 7

I’ve knocked on hundreds of doors this summer, and people raise this frequently alongside roads, taxes, and accountability.

Artificial intelligence and data centres are a new technology and a new industry, and Hamilton should be open to investment and the jobs that come with it.

At the same time, I would oppose any project that increased electricity costs, created noise problems, harmed our environment, or negatively affected Hamilton residents. People have legitimate questions about power use, water use, and the impact on our community, and those concerns deserve clear answers.

It is also clear that the legal advice provided to council yesterday changed the minds of several councillors. From the outside, it appears that municipal authority in this area may be limited.

My position is straightforward: if these projects can proceed without harming residents and with appropriate safeguards in place, Hamilton should welcome the investment and economic opportunities they bring. My priority will always be protecting the interests of the people of Hamilton.

Before the Ballot with Olivia “Moy” Fung, Councillor Candidate for Hamilton City Council – Ward 10

Enjoy this instalment of Before the Ballot with Olivia “Moy” Fung, Councillor Candidate for Hamilton City Council – Ward 10.

What motivated you to run for City Council in this election?

For nearly two decades, I have served individuals, families, business owners, organizations, and communities through community-based programs, social enterprise, and nonprofit work.

My decision to run for City Council comes from a genuine desire to serve the community where I live and to use the experience and skills I have developed to make a meaningful contribution.

I am a people-centred leader, so my work always begins with listening to people and understanding what is affecting their everyday lives. Local government gives me the opportunity to remain close to residents, carry their concerns to City Hall, and work toward practical solutions.

Advocating for people, bringing people together, and addressing barriers that affect their quality of life have been at the centre of my work for many years. Running for Council is a natural extension of that commitment.

What are your top 3 priorities if elected?

I am still listening to residents and learning more about the issues affecting Ward 10. I do not want to act as though I already have all the answers or decide what the community’s top priorities are without hearing from the people who live here.

However, three areas are beginning to stand out.

Responsible growth and infrastructure. New development must be supported by roads, drainage, transit, parks, public services, and meaningful consultation with residents.

Roads, traffic, and safe movement. Residents should be able to move through Ward 10 safely and efficiently, whether they are driving, walking, cycling, or using public transit.

Safe and well-maintained neighbourhoods. That includes timely bylaw enforcement, fire prevention, good lighting, accessible public spaces, and clean, well-maintained parks and neighbourhood areas.

These priorities are informed by early conversations with residents and my ongoing research. They will continue to be shaped by the people who live, work, and raise their families in Stoney Creek, Fruitland, and Winona.

Can you describe a time when you had to make a tough decision and how you handled it?

A few years ago, I made the difficult decision to pause a transitional housing program I had created for young people experiencing mental health challenges, addiction, housing instability, and the transition out of the child welfare system.

The home had become a safe and supportive community for the residents, so the decision was heartbreaking. However, without stable government funding, I had reached the limit of what I could responsibly sustain through my own resources.

I had to be honest that continuing without adequate funding, staffing, and supports could eventually compromise the quality and safety of the program. I chose to pause it rather than make promises I could no longer responsibly keep.

Throughout the transition, I worked with the residents to identify referrals, alternative housing, and other available supports so they were not left to navigate the change alone.

That experience taught me that leadership is not only about starting important work. It is also about making difficult decisions with care, planning responsibly, and taking responsibility for the people affected.

What distinguishes you from other candidates in your ward?

What distinguishes me is the combination of practical leadership experience and a genuine commitment to people.

I have spent years building organizations, developing partnerships, leading teams, creating programs, and helping move ideas into action. That experience has taught me how to bring people together, follow through, and stay focused on the people affected by the decisions being made.

Beyond my experience, I care deeply about whether people feel heard, respected, and included. My approach is to listen first, involve residents early, and keep them informed throughout the process

I want to be a councillor who is present, accessible, and connected to the everyday realities of Ward 10. My goal is to keep people at the centre of the work and to advocate for infrastructure, services, and neighbourhood planning that allow residents to live and age with safety, dignity, and a strong quality of life.

That is the different approach I hope to bring to City Hall.

How can residents reach you or get involved in your campaign?

Residents can reach me at oliviafungward10@gmail.com or through my website at oliviafung.ca.

I will also be out in the community throughout the summer and fall, meeting residents, attending local events, and continuing to listen.

I welcome conversations, ideas, and anyone who would like to volunteer or get involved. This campaign is about the people of Ward 10, and I want residents to feel part of the process.

Thank you for the opportunity to share more about why I am running and the kind of service I hope to bring to the community.

Thank-you Olivia for engaging with Hamiltonians on The Hamiltonian!

Hamilton Council Rejects Interim Control Bylaw on New AI Data Centres

Hamilton City Council has rejected an attempt to temporarily halt new artificial intelligence data centre development while the City considers how such facilities should be regulated.

An Interim Control Bylaw moved by Ward 3 Councillor Nrinder Nann was defeated Wednesday by a vote of 10-6. The proposed bylaw would have controlled the use of land, buildings and structures for new artificial intelligence data centres within Hamilton's industrial zones. Data centres are already restricted to industrially zoned lands and are not permitted on commercial or residential properties.

Voting in favour of the interim control bylaw were Councillors Cameron Kroetsch, Nrinder Nann, Matt Francis, Tom Jackson, Esther Pauls and Alex Wilson. Mayor Andrea Horwath and Councillors Maureen Wilson, Tammy Hwang, Rob Cooper, Brad Clark, Jeff Beattie, Mark Tadeson, Craig Cassar, Mike Spadafora and Ted McMeekin voted against it. The 10-6 vote means Hamilton will not impose a temporary city-wide planning freeze specifically targeting new AI data centres.

The decision comes amid an increasingly heated debate over whether Hamilton should embrace data centre investment or exercise greater caution because of concerns surrounding electricity and water consumption, land use, environmental impacts and the potential demands these facilities could place on local infrastructure. Those questions have taken on particular significance as Hamilton considers the future of its industrial lands and the potential arrival of large-scale data centre developments.

The defeat of the interim control bylaw, however, should not be confused with Council giving blanket approval to any particular data centre proposal. Individual developments remain subject to whatever planning, zoning, servicing and regulatory requirements apply to them. What Wednesday's vote does reveal is a significant philosophical divide around the Council table. Six members were prepared to temporarily restrict new AI data centre development while Hamilton examines the issue. Ten were not.

An interim control bylaw is an extraordinary planning instrument. It can effectively put development on hold while a municipality studies an emerging land-use issue and determines whether new rules are required. Supporters can argue that a temporary pause provides breathing room before potentially consequential developments proceed. Opponents can reasonably argue that municipalities should not freeze otherwise lawful development without compelling evidence that existing planning controls are inadequate.

Hamiltonians should therefore be careful about reducing this vote to a simple question of who is "for" or "against" AI. The more important question is what comes next. If Council believes an interim freeze was unnecessary, the public is entitled to know what safeguards Council believes are sufficient instead. How will Hamilton evaluate the cumulative electricity demands of multiple data centres? What are the implications for water consumption and infrastructure? What standards will govern noise, backup generation and environmental impacts? How will Council determine whether these developments produce economic benefits proportionate to the resources and industrial land they consume?

And perhaps most importantly: will Hamilton establish a clear policy framework before major applications arrive, or develop that framework while applications are already moving through the system?

Council has decided against pressing the pause button. Now the responsibility falls on those who voted against the interim control bylaw to demonstrate that Hamilton can proceed without one — and that the City will be ready for what may be coming.

Before the Ballot- School Trustee Edition with Amanda Fehrman, Candidate for Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board Trustee (Public) – Wards 11 and 12.

Enjoy this instalment of Before the Ballot- School Trustee Edition with Amanda Fehrman, Candidate for Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board Trustee (Public) – Wards 11 and 12.

Please tell our readers a little about yourself and what motivated you to seek election as a School Board Trustee.

My name is Amanda Fehrman, and I am honoured to serve as the Hamilton Wentworth District School Board Trustee for Wards 11 and 12. I have lived in our community for over 20 years and bring a unique perspective as a parent, hockey coach, IT professional, and long time education advocate.

Before being elected Trustee in 2022, I served as Chair of the HWDSB Parent Involvement Committee, where I worked alongside families, educators, and community partners to strengthen public education. I sought election because I believe every student deserves the opportunity to succeed, whether that path includes academics, athletics, the arts, robotics, or the skilled trades. I wanted to ensure that the voices of students, parents, and staff were heard at the board table and that decisions were made with a focus on student well being and long term success.

In your view, what are the three most important issues currently facing students, parents, educators, and the school board, and how would you help address them?

The first challenge is adequate and sustainable funding. School boards are expected to do more with less while managing rising costs and increasing student needs. I will continue to advocate to the provincial government for fair, predictable funding that allows us to maintain high quality programs, safe schools, and the supports students need to thrive.

The second issue is student well being and belonging. Students learn best when they feel safe, included, and supported. This means continuing to prioritize mental health supports, creating positive school climates, and ensuring that every student feels a

Council Cannot Simply Replace Anjali Menezes and Move On

Dr. Anjali Menezes has resigned from the Hamilton Police Service Board, and Hamilton City Council should resist any temptation to simply thank her for her service, advertise the vacancy and move on.

Her resignation letter makes that response inadequate.

Menezes, a Council-appointed citizen member of the Board since 2023, leaves making extraordinary allegations about the governance and culture of the body responsible for civilian oversight of policing in Hamilton. She says her voice was "systematically marginalized and silenced" and describes procedural exclusion, identity-based mistreatment and what she characterizes as an institutional resistance to dissenting perspectives.

More seriously, she alleges broader failures of governance, transparency and meaningful oversight. She accuses the Board of increasingly functioning as a "rubber stamp" for the police service it is supposed to oversee and has taken the extraordinary step of calling upon Ontario's Solicitor General to dissolve the Board and appoint an independent administrator.

These are allegations, and they should be treated as such. Other members of the Board may strongly dispute Menezes's account. There may also be relevant information that cannot currently be made public because it arose during confidential Board proceedings.

But none of that gives Council an excuse to look the other way. Council appointed Menezes. Council should therefore want to know why its appointee concluded that the institution had failed so profoundly that she could no longer remain part of it. The easiest response would be to find another citizen appointee. It would also be the least satisfactory.

Menezes says her appointment was intended to represent a commitment to including communities historically alienated from policing institutions. She now says that commitment proved to be merely symbolic. If Council responds by simply appointing another person to the same Board without seriously examining the environment Menezes describes, it risks proving her point.

There is also a larger issue that cannot be lost amid the controversy surrounding her departure.A police service board exists to govern. Board members are supposed to scrutinize budgets, question policies, examine results and challenge the institution they oversee when circumstances warrant it. Disagreement is not necessarily evidence of dysfunction. In civilian police governance, vigorous disagreement can sometimes be evidence that oversight is actually taking place.

Menezes alleges that this kind of oversight has been resisted. That accusation strikes directly at the legitimacy of the Board and deserves an answer.

Menezes also says that a complaint concerning her treatment is already before the Inspectorate of Policing and that she intends to file additional complaints. The existence of a complaint does not prove wrongdoing. But when a Council-appointed member files a formal complaint, says the alleged conduct continued, resigns from her position and then calls for the entire Board to be dissolved, Council cannot credibly treat the matter as a routine vacancy.

Hamiltonians deserve to know whether Council was previously aware of these concerns and what, if anything, it did about them. They deserve to know whether Council continues to have full confidence in the governance of the Police Service Board. Most importantly, they deserve to know whether anyone in a position of authority intends to independently examine what happened.

Perhaps such an examination would find Menezes's allegations unsupported. Perhaps other Board members would provide important context that substantially changes the picture. Or perhaps a serious review would identify governance problems that have been allowed to persist. We do not know. And that is precisely why simply replacing Menezes is not an adequate response.

The Hamilton Police Service Board oversees one of the most powerful public institutions in this city. Questions about whether that Board itself is functioning properly cannot be dismissed as an internal personality conflict or quietly buried beneath the administrative process of filling a vacant seat.

Council selected Menezes to help provide civilian governance of policing in Hamilton. She is now leaving with an indictment of the very institution she was appointed to govern.

That should concern every member of Council. A vacancy can be filled quickly. Public confidence cannot.

Before Council asks another Hamiltonian to occupy the chair Dr. Menezes has left behind, it should first find out why she felt she had no choice but to leave it.

The resignation letter can be found within this link: Click here

Before the Ballot- School Trustee Edition with Seth Floyd, Candidate for Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board Trustee (Public) – Ward 7.

Enjoy this instalment of Before the Ballot- School Trustee Edition with Seth Floyd, Candidate for Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board Trustee (Public) – Ward 7.

Please tell our readers a little about yourself and what motivated you to seek election as a School Board Trustee.

I am a born-and-raised Hamiltonian, of which I have been able to say proudly for 30+ years. While growing up in Hamilton, my family moved around a handful of times, meaning I have experienced more of our schools first hand than the average student and have lived in a few of the different wards across the city (but have lived in Ward 7 "off-and-on" since 2017). Post-graduation, I briefly left Hamilton for 4 years in order to pursue my post-secondary education at the University of Guelph, where I obtained a Bachelor of Science in Toxicology. Since then, I moved back home to Hamilton, found a job in my field, pursued further education (gaining a Master's Degree in Food Safety as pictured here), and started focusing more of my efforts to re-establish myself in my community.

What motivated me to seek election as a School Board Trustee was, and always has been, the underlying motivation to do more for my community. Schools and education are the primary foundations of communities, as they connect families and support the growth of students who will one day be the adults that are the pillars in their own community. This is an opportunity for me to help affect positive and meaningful impacts in my community, by supporting students and advocating on behalf of parents.

In your view, what are the three most important issues currently facing students, parents, educators, and the school board, and how would you help address them?

The three biggest issues I see are strained funding, an increasingly challenging classroom environment, and uncertainty of the future. The underlying theme of all

Media Release: Hamilton Police Service Board Supports Ontario Inspector General of Policing's First Notice To Fortify Police Response to Rising Antisemitic and Hate Motivated Incidents

The Hamilton Police Service Board (Board) welcomes the release of the Inspector General of Policing's first Notice of Issue released on July 14, 2026, which identifies seven actions for police services and boards across Ontario to fortify their response to the sustained rise in anti-
Semitic and hate-motivated incidents. The Board stands in full support of this important oversight initiative and commits to working with the Hamilton Police Service (HPS) to ensure theactions identified are implemented consistently and effectively in our community.

Hamilton was among the board and police services that participated in the Inspector General's June 15, 2026, meeting, which brought together police chiefs and their representatives, board leadership, and Jewish and community organizations from across the province to discuss how policing can continue to evolve in response to hate-motivated incidents. The Board recognizes Jewish communities have remained the most targeted group for religion-based hate crimes in Canada, and that recent incidents, including threats and violence directed at synagogues, schools, and businesses, demand a coordinated and sustained response.

The Notice of Issue identifies seven actions in the areas of data classification, investigative centralization, release conditions, supervisory oversight, victim and community support, training, and board-level prioritization and reporting. The Board is currently in the process of reviewing and restructuring its strategic plan and policies to ensure these actions are reflected in the priorities it sets for the Hamilton Police Service and will require regular reporting from the Chief of Police on implementation progress.

“Every resident of Hamilton, no matter their faith or background, deserves to feel safe in their neighbourhood, their place of worship, and their community. The Board takes seriously the  rust placed in us to provide effective governance of policing in this city, and we welcome the Inspector General's leadership in bringing forward clear, actionable steps. We are committed to continuing to work with Chief Bergen and the Hamilton Police Service to put these actions into practice and to reporting back to our community on our progress. We welcome similar initiativesfrom the Inspectorate of Policing in the future.” - Chair Don Robertson

While the Notice of Issue is focused on the disproportionate rise in anti-Semitic incidents, the  Board recognizes hate is not experienced uniformly across communities. Consistent with the Inspector General's guidance, the Board will also consider how these actions can inform the Service's response to hate-motivated incidents affecting other groups in Hamilton, based on local data and ongoing engagement with affected communities.

The Board thanks the Inspector General of Policing, the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police, Police Governance Ontario, and the Jewish and community organizations that contributed to this process and looks forward to continued collaboration as this work moves forward. 

Hamilton Police Service Board Strategic Plan Survey: Request for Community Feedback

The Board, in consultation with the Chief of Police, is developing an updated Strategic Plan – an initiative that will shape the future of policing in our community. This plan will define priorities, guide resource allocation, improve services and strengthen relationships between the Board, the Hamilton Police Service, community partners and the public. It will be designed to reflect community values, align with provincial legislation and support responsible, transparent governance.

The Board has selected Consilium Public Sector Services (CP2S) to lead the Board in the planning process and to facilitate a public survey, as well as key stakeholder feedback sessions, to gather input from Hamiltonians. This is truly a community-drive process. CP2S’ proven track record working with other Ontario police service boards ensures a professional, inclusive and evidence-based approach.

Community survey input will help inform recommendations for future planning and service improvements. It is meant to gather community feedback on safety, policing priorities, service experience and communication. A confidential public survey has been open to all members of the public since June 1, 2026, and will remain open until July 31, 2026. For more information, please visit the Board’s website www.hamiltonpsb.ca or access the survey through the QR  code below.

Board Members: Chair Don Robertson, Vice Chair Esther Pauls, Cameron Kroetsch, Shaun Padulo, Mike Spadafora, and Robin St. Jean Administrative Team: Executive Director Kirsten Stevenson, Executive Assistant LuciaRomano and Board Assistant Jordana Shainbach

The A.I. Special Session of Council

Today, Hamilton City Council is holding a special session, commissioned by Mayor Andrea Horwath, to receive additional information on artificial intelligence (AI) and its implications.

The very decision to convene the session has generated some controversy, including criticism from at least one member of Council.

Some argue that the meeting will serve less as an educational exercise and more as an opportunity for proponents of AI and related technologies to advocate for their position.

The Hamiltonian sees the matter differently.

As a general principle, the more information Council has before making significant policy decisions, the better. Artificial intelligence is a rapidly evolving and highly complex subject. It deserves careful examination and informed discussion.

Even if some presenters arrive with a particular perspective or objective, that should not, in itself, disqualify them from being heard. Council is fully capable of exercising critical thinking. Members can ask probing questions, challenge assumptions, test the evidence, and evaluate the credibility of what they hear. That is, after all, the purpose of informed governance.

The Hamiltonian is not taking a position on whether AI initiatives or related data centre developments are ultimately right or wrong for Hamilton. Rather, we believe the discussion should be approached with an open mind and a commitment to understanding the issues before conclusions are reached.

It is also important not to dismiss those who have knowledge simply because their motivations may be questioned. Often, what people choose to say—and just as importantly, what they choose not to say—provides valuable insight that helps inform public debate.

Council's responsibility is to listen, scrutinize, and decide. The public's responsibility is to hold Council accountable for those decisions. That process is strengthened—not weakened—when all relevant information is allowed to come to the table.