Just Recovery Hamilton coalition implores city to adopt equity recommendations ahead of budget deliberations

A coalition of community organizations is once again doubling down on its pleas for an equitable pandemic recovery in Hamilton after many of their recommendations to council last year went unheeded.

Less than 20 per cent of the 150 recommendations Just Recovery Hamilton sent to council in January 2021 - aimed at building a fairer Hamilton in the wake of COVID-19 - have been fulfilled, the group said in a release Tuesday.

The coalition, comprised of more than a dozen community organizations, is asking council to reconsider its suite of policy suggestions ahead of next week's budget deliberations.

Released in a 40-page document, the group's recommendations span nine main themes - affordable housing, disability and mobility justice, investing in women, stifling systemic racism, inclusive city building, investing in green infrastructure, supporting LGBTQ communities and investing in jobs, wages and the local economy.

The pandemic has exacerbated the need for crucial supports for women, gender-diverse folks and children," Jessica Bonilla-Damptey, executive director of the Sexual Assault Centre of Hamilton and Area (SACHA), is quoted as saying in the release. It is imperative that the (city) provide adequate sustainable funding to organizations addressing violence against women, gender-based violence and supporting survivors."

Just Recovery Hamilton will hold a press conference Thursday to highlight the pressing needs facing vulnerable city residents.

Sebastian Bron is a reporter at The Spectator. sbron@thespec.com