Latest news with #BradClark
CBC
08-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
Forgot to declare if you're living in your Hamilton home? City extends deadline for vacant unit tax
The City of Hamilton is extending the April 30 deadline for anyone who has yet to declare if their property is vacant or not. All homeowners now have until May 30 to inform the city, as part of the new vacant unit tax (VUT) program. The new deadline was approved by council Wednesday. This the first year of the VUT, which will see the city impose a one per cent levy on a home's assessed value if no one was living there for more than half of 2024. Mike Zegarac, general manager of finance, told council that as of Wednesday, the city has received declarations for 94 per cent of Hamilton's 180,000 homes. Staff are working "with compassion and in an effort assist property owners," he said. The tax is designed to discourage investors from buying homes and letting them sit empty instead of renting them out to long-term tenants. Any revenue generated from the program will go toward increasing affordable housing supply, the city says. City setting up appeal process The city mailed letters to all homeowners informing them of the process. Some councillors have had concerns not all residents would be aware of the VUT, miss the declaration window, and be inadvertently penalized. If the city doesn't receive a response from homeowners, staff will assume the property is vacant and issue the tax. "What about the little old ladies who don't read their mail?" Coun. Brad Clark asked staff Wednesday. "Folks who were snowbirds and out of town? There could be a death in the family. There's a whole list of reasons why people might not be paying attention to their mail." Clayton Pereira, director of revenue services, said staff have worked "tirelessly" to create an appeal system to handle complaints. "Ultimately our goal here is to educate the residents and make a decision that's fair," he said. Homeowners need the roll number and access code found on the declaration notice letter from the city or their most recent property tax bill. They can make declarations online or by phone, email or in person.
CBC
02-05-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Hamilton's outdoor shelter costs balloon $5.1 million over budget
Hamilton's first outdoor shelter is $5.1 million over budget. Capital costs have almost tripled from what city staff first pitched and council approved last September — from $2.8 million to $7.9 million, says a report to council's general issues committee Wednesday. Staff revealed in the report there's been a number of issues with site contamination and the 40 tiny homes, which were delivered not up to code. These issues drove up costs for a project already plagued with controversial decisions and delays. "I have to say, I was shocked by everything that occurred, sincerely," Coun. Brad Clark told staff. "I could not believe this has happened in the manner it did and we had a full slate of people involved in this process." North-end resident Kelly Oucharek, who's been opposed to the outdoor shelter's location from the start, delegated to councillors wearing a shirt that said, "If I had $5.1 million" — a play off the Barenaked Ladies song, If I Had $1000000. "I along with many Hamiltonians are dismayed this project is 300 per cent over budget," said Oucharek. Gessie Stearns, a researcher on homelessness and advocate, told the committee that the city's decision to build the outdoor shelter on contaminated land for millions of dollars wasn't done in consultation with people experiencing homelessness or the cash-strapped community groups who support them. "If you gave 10 organizations in the community $500,000, it would've been unprecedented," Stearns said. "Here, $5 million has evaporated like it's nothing." Last summer, Mayor Andrea Horwath used strong mayor powers, which allow mayors to take quicker initiative on some issues, to direct staff to create some kind of "sanctioned" encampment site. She wasn't present at the meeting Wednesday due to an accident. By September, staff had proposed an 80-person temporary outdoor shelter — intended to house couples and people with pets — that would open by December in time for winter. It is a temporary site, and will only be operational for up to two years, but the "exit strategy" has yet to be announced, Grace Mater, general manager of healthy and safe communities, told councillors. 'A small subdivision in under 4 months' The city knew the land was contaminated when the project began, but soon discovered it would cost millions dollars more to deal with than budgeted, said Mater. The site needed grading, erosion control and other work to address the pollution, and the city had to hire architects, engineers and environmental experts to guide and sign off on the process, the report said. Mater defended city staff's management of the project on a tight timeline. "We've basically built a small subdivision in under four months," she said. "As with all projects of this magnitude, there were challenges along the way." There were also issues with the tiny homes ordered from MicroShelters Inc., staff said. The decision to buy them from the fledgling Brantford, Ont., company was already controversial, but then staff learned the units weren't up to code. The electrical wiring didn't meet Canadian standards and had to be completely replaced, said the report. The city also had to pay for architectural validation of MicroShelter's documents to make sure they met occupancy standards. The fire department had concerns about the layout of the overall shelter and individual tiny homes, and the city had to make design changes for safety reasons, the report said. In total, the city spent an unexpected $400,000 to make sure the tiny homes were safe for people to live in, Mater said. Coun. Craig Cassar said it was "very surprising" the "vendor did not deliver what was promised" and described the tiny homes as "defective." The city's legal team said it is assisting staff in trying to recoup some money from MicroShelters. MicroShelters did not respond to a request for comment, but director Jeff Cooper previously said in an email, "all aspects of its business are proprietary and confidential. Under advice of our lawyer we decline comment." Hamilton's auditor general is reviewing the contract between MicroShelters and the city, said Mater. Lawsuit filed against MicroShelters MicroShelters was incorporated weeks before council approved the project and used images on its website identical to those used by another tiny home company, Foldum Corporation. MicroShelters then imported the tiny homes from China through U.S. company Global Axxis. Foldum is now suing both MicroShelters and Global Axxis in California court, alleging they "conspired" to make a profit by using Foldum's proprietary information. Foldum's complaint says MicroShelters "falsely" advertised Foldum's housing and past projects as its own, "misleading Hamilton and other potential buyers" and then charging the city "a significant price." The allegations have not been proven in court. Global Axxis told CBC Hamilton, through a lawyer also named in the complaint, that it denies Foldum's allegations. Neither Foldum nor MicroShelters provided comments for this story. Before the lawsuit and budget overrun, city staff admitted they'd not done a thorough check on MicroShelters before awarding them a contract worth millions of dollars. Because of the short timeline, staff selected the company through a non-competitive process. Mater previously told CBC Hamilton she didn't know if MicroShelters had ever fulfilled any other similar contract before choosing it and wasn't aware they'd be importing the units from China. She said it was the only company the city could find to deliver foldable tiny homes big enough for two people in short order. The units ended up arriving weeks later than anticipated, in January. Manager says she could've told council sooner Several councillors, including Cameron Kroetsch, Matt Francis and Mike Spadafora, asked staff why they were not told of the ballooning costs or site challenges until now. "Staff had instructions to move forward extremely fast," Spadafora said. "But I think the disconnect is staff should've come back and said, 'It's not going to work, the site's a dump, it's going to cost millions of dollars and we're not going to be able to get people in before the snow flies.'" Kroetsch said if he had known the site would cost $5.1 million more and not be ready in time for winter, he wouldn't have supported it. Mater took responsibility for not "reporting back in a timely manner" but said the challenges and costs were "coming at us at a very rapid pace." The committee told staff to report back with a detailed breakdown of all the project costs, as approved in a motion from Francis. Mike Zegarac, general manager of finance, said staff would pull the additional $5.1 million from federal and provincial funding already secured for the project. Coun. Tammy Hwang defended the project, saying staff were given "an impossible task" to build the outdoor shelter in a matter of months. "This is the admirable and amazing way they have showed up and given their all," she said. "I'm thankful for the work done and respectful of the mistakes made. We need to figure out how do we talk about this and share lessons learned."
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Prepare your boots and hats for the Shaddai Shriners rodeo
BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) – Prepare your boots and hats for the 9th Annual Shriners Rodeo hosted by the Shaddai Shriners. The rodeo is happening on Friday, March 7, at the Bay County Fairgrounds on 15th Street and Sherman Avenue. Gates open at 5 p.m. and the rodeo begins at 7 p.m. General admission is $15 and is free for kids age 4 and under. On Saturday, March 8, there will be a rodeo dance. Admission is $20 per person and begins at 8 p.m. after the rodeo. There will also be a live band until midnight. News 13 Pet Adoption Option: Collin Proceeds will go towards the Shaddai Shriners. Shriners have hospitals for children who need to be treated for burns and orthopedic concerns. 'We cover about 39 kids here in our area, and we have different fundraisers throughout the year,' Shriner's spokesperson Brad Clark said. 'We have some that go straight to the hospital and some that go straight to transportation funds.' For more information about the event, click here for their Facebook page. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBC
03-03-2025
- Business
- CBC
City staff to explore giving tax break to Stoney Creek residents living within 3 km of stinky landfill
Hamilton city staff will look into measures that could provide relief to neighbours of a smelly GFL dump in Stoney Creek, including tax breaks and a temporary closure of the landfill, after councillors discussed the actions last week. At a general issues committee (GIC) meeting on Feb. 26, councillors voted unanimously in favour of two motions put forward by councillor Brad Clark's (Ward 9). One of those motions will look at "providing area rating relief or any other tax relief" to Upper Stoney Creek residents living within a three kilometre radius of the dump at 65 Green Mountain Rd. W., where neighbours say a stink continues to impact their lives. Since April 2023, the area surrounding the GFL Stoney Creek Regional Facility has been dealing with a consistent, at times overwhelming stench coming from the dump, neighbours say. Tenysha Graham, a neighbour of the area, delegated at GIC and said the "sulphuric, rotten fish-like and chemical [smells] are causing unmistakable harm to our community." "We are unable to use our backyards and children are unable to use community playgrounds," Graham said at the committee meeting. "I'm extremely concerned for my health and so I no longer go for a walk or jog in our own neighbourhood." She said the community wants answers from the province, which approved an expansion of the landfill in 2019, and from GFL, the company that runs the landfill. "These odour events are frequent, unpredictable and have tangible impact on our daily lives," she said. Ward 1 councillor Cameron Kroetsch asked if residents impacted by other environmental effects in the city's industrial zones could be considered in the report requested to city staff. "The impact of a decision like this could be very far ranging," he said. Mike Zegarac, general manager of finance and corporate services in the city, said the report could include findings that could apply to other areas. Ministry 'dropping the ball,' says councillor In the second motion put forward Clark, city staff were directed to look into "legal options available to the city" in relation to residents' concerns, including a possible temporary closure of the site. In it, he said a community group for the area "has had discussions with their lawyers," in light of what they perceive to be inaction from the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) to help resolve the issue. He said the MECP and GFL are "well aware of the issue," and the ministry is "dropping the ball." "What frustrates me more than anything is that [GFL] have been gaslighting residents when they call in for an odour complaint," he said. In November of 2023, the province strengthened penalties to landfills that contravene environmental laws, which could face fines from $1,000 a day to $100,000 a day, which Clark said was a response to around 6,000 petitioners to the province. Clark said since then, GFL has responded to odour complaints by saying they're not at fault. MPP-elect Donna Skelly said, during a Cable 14 provincial candidates debate on Feb. 20 for the Flamborough-Glanbrook riding, that the ministry has an "ongoing investigation," and the company hasn't gotten any fines because the investigation is not complete. The MECP has said previously the smell is due to leachate, a chemical stew of potentially toxic liquid, that came up while building a new landfill cell. In the second motion, Clark also mentions a section of the Municipal Act which states a court could order the premises to be closed temporarily if a municipality proves it causes a public nuisance that's not being addressed. Ward 10 councillor Jeff Beattie, who said he regularly sits in community meetings between GFL and neighbours of the area, said he doesn't see "any alternative to closure of this facility if we keep going down this road." "Ultimately, the residents of this community have a right to be outdoors," he said. 'We cannot continue to live like this' Graham said residents organized to do their own air testing after hearing the MECP and city often can't conduct air measurements while the odour events are active. Results showed levels of hydrogen sulfide close to double Ontario standards, according to Graham. Beattie said the city's Public Health department has said while the hydrogen sulfide odours have not been "a threat to public health, they are public nuisance." "They can cause people to be nauseous, they can cause sore throats, they can cause asthma, bronchitis and they can certainly cause migraine headaches," he said. Graham said while some equipment for the testing was donated, residents also donated to cost it, adding to the financial burden some have been feeling as a result of the odours. She said many, including herself, have bought air purifiers out of fear for their health, other neighbours have said in the past their bills have gone up due to not being able to open their windows during warmer months. "We cannot continue to live like this," said Graham. City staff were given until the end of the second quarter of 2025 to report back to GIC on both motions "with all costs to be funded through the GFL royalties." Both motions passed unanimously, with 13 councillors and the mayor voting on the first motion, and councillors only voting on the second. The vote will go to council for final approval on Wednesday.
