Hamilton Centre residents vote for their new MPP on March 16

Residents of Hamilton Centre will vote for their new MPP in a March 16 byelection.

The campaign picked up speed when several candidates appeared on a Cable 14 debate Tuesday night.

Ten candidates are vying for the provincial seat vacated by Mayor Andrea Horwath.

In the debate were New Democrat Sarah Jama, 28, co-founder and executive director of the Disability Justice Network of Ontario; Liberal Deirdre Pike, 60, an advocate, community researcher, and training facilitator for the LGBTQ and Two-Spirit community; and Green Party candidate Lucia Iannantuono, 26, an electrical engineer and environmentalist.

Progressive Conservative candidate Pete Wiesner, a Hamilton police sergeant who has supervised a crisis response unit for those facing severe mental-health and addiction issues, declined to participate. No explanation for his absence was given.

Wiesner's campaign did not respond to multiple requests for comment by deadline Thursday.

Candidates answered pre-recorded questions from Hamilton Centre residents, as well as questions submitted to Cable 14 during the debate. They also had the opportunity to interrogate each other. Other candidates were invited to pre-record video responses.

The debate heated up only briefly when Pike, in response to a citizen question about combatting antisemitism in the community more broadly, suggested Jama should apologize to the Jewish community."

In a March 6 release, Jewish human-rights organization B'nai Brith Canada called on the NDP to withdraw Jama's candidacy, accusing her of supporting a movement to push Israel to recognize Palestinian rights.

I'm really against antisemitism in our communities, but I'm also for human rights, and that includes the rights of everybody," Jama replied at the debate.

Standing up for Palestinian rights cannot be conflated with antisemitism," she said.

Jama, in turn, accused Pike of having a history of anti-Black racism" while at the Social Planning and Research Council of Hamilton, where Pike worked until last year.

Asked for clarification on the comments after the debate by The Spectator, Jama's campaign said in an emailed statement Wednesday that Jama has heard directly from several people ... who have experienced incidents of racism at the SPRC under Deirdre Pike's leadership" - although she did not cite any specific examples.

Also in an email to The Spectator, Pike said there was never any question of anti-Black racism connected with me at SPRC," and she pointed out that she'd won awards for her work on anti-discrimination while with the organization.

Otherwise, candidates traded few punches, finding common ground on many issues, like protecting Ontario's Greenbelt and improving affordability in Hamilton Centre.

A look at the issues

The Spectator breaks down where candidates stand on key issues, based on their responses at the debate:

Responsible land planning

A controversial Tory government plan to remove 7,400 acres land from the Greenbelt, including about 1,900 in rural Hamilton, for fast-tracked homebuilding that has been met with protests was a focus of Tuesday's debate, and all three candidates were staunchly opposed.

Iannantuono: She pointed to a recent report that found there's room in existing urban boundaries to build enough homes to meet provincial targets.

We need to freeze urban boundaries and we need to do that immediately to protect the farmland that feeds us and the nature that protects us," she said.

She also said it is essential to focus on development that takes community into consideration at the early stages," such as missing middle" - a term coined to describe duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, row houses, and townhouses - and affordable housing.

Jama: She said the NDP are adamantly against sprawl."

We support gentle intensification in the downtown core," she said. We need to be building housing that people can afford here and leaving our Greenbelt alone."

Jama, who has been involved in local organization Stop Sprawl HamOnt, said the Ford government has really left people behind" in favour of developers in selling" the Greenbelt.

Pike: She vows to tap into her rural roots" and use her voice to protect farmland and green space from development, as she has in recent protests.

She pointed to her experience as a Wellington Water Watchers board member, and conversations she's had with environmental activists.

These are the issues that I have been immersing myself in and have been immersed in really from my roots, and so you can count on my voice to be protecting that," she said.

Supports for seniors

Seniors were among the hardest hit during the COVID-19 pandemic, causing critics to question the efficacy of the current, largely privatized system for long-term care.

Pike: Of the candidates at the debate, Pike is closest to that particular part of life," she noted. Her professional and personal experience, including supporting her own mother in aging, make her a good voice for seniors, Pike said.

When it comes to having good options to move people into retirement homes, we need advocates for our seniors," she said. That's certainly what I've been doing, not just in my own personal life, but in the work that I've done."

Pike also said the Liberals have been calling out the Tories' terrible efforts" in supporting long-term care.

Jama: She said the NDP wants to invest in public health care, not privatize it.

We've seen that our long-term care homes have been left a mess," she said. I want to make sure, and the NDP wants to make sure, that we're keeping public investments in long-term care going forward."

Jama said she's heard first hand seniors' concerns, including pension protection and quality of facilities.

She also said the NDP wants to make sure seniors have access to proper home care."

Iannantuono: She said the Ontario Greens want to invest in and standardize home care for seniors.

We want to make sure that everyone has access to the same services and that they are enforced so that everyone will be getting a good standard of care," she said.

She also said the Greens are committed to phasing out for-profit long-term care."

Housing crisis

Homelessness is a perennial issue in Hamilton, where demand consistently exceeds housing resources, leaving people without stable housing or shelter. The problem has been exacerbated by a rising cost of living, including housing and food.

Jama: She called Hamilton's unaffordability completely egregious."

People should be able to afford food and rent, and they can't," she said.

Jama pointed to rent control, increasing minimum wage and doubling" social assistance, like ODSP and OW, as possible solutions.

Iannantuono: She said we need a unified provincial approach" to homelessness, so that people aren't shuffled between municipalities. She said the Greens want the province to fund 50 per cent of community and shelter housing costs.

We need to equalize, level the playing field, make sure that our entire province is lifting people up at an equal rate," she said.

Iannantuono also said more supports are needed for Hamilton's urban Indigenous, who are overrepresented in the homeless population.

Pike: She said the province needs to look at the available income security tools, like rent control.

More and more people are renting and we need to make it possible for them to hold on to that," she said, adding that social assistance isn't enough to live on in Hamilton.

Pike also said local politicians need to better understand how people are disproportionately affected in neighbourhoods across the riding and take this to Queen's Park."

Transition to green economy

Amid a climate emergency, cities like Hamilton are developing strategies to cut carbon emissions and prepare for consequences like flooding and heat waves. One resident asked candidates how they would support a transition to a green economy in Hamilton.

Iannantuono: She said Hamilton is poised to be a leader in the green economy.

We need to be making huge investments, especially here," she said.

The Greens candidate said the province needs to make sure that every investment counts," looking at ways public and private sectors can play a role in the industry.

Pike: Pike said the green economy is part of a prosperous future."

We have a friendly federal government that's making great announcements around what can happen around green steel here," she said, adding that the new technology will help residents breathe easier."

Pike said conversations with local unions have shown there's a commitment in our community" to green solutions.

Jama: She said building a green economy is part of the NDP's plan to reach net-zero emission rates by 2050.

The New Democrat candidate said she believes she has the most labour endorsements, including the Ontario Federation of Labour, local steelworkers and the Hamilton and District Labour Council.

They know and trust that I'm going to be pushing for good green jobs, making sure that we're taking care of our planet while making sure people still have jobs and are taken care of in this sector," she said.

How to vote

March 16 is election day in Hamilton Centre, a provincial electoral district that stretches from Highway 403 to Kenilworth Avenue, and from the Niagara Escarpment to Lake Ontario, and has a population of 100,100, according to Elections Ontario.

The seat was vacated by longtime riding MPP and former NDP leader Andrea Horwath, who stepped down to run for mayor in Hamilton last year.

Residents can vote in advance March 10 at the Bernie Morelli Recreation Centre, Hamilton Central Library and the First Unitarian Church of Hamilton from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Hamilton Centre residents can vote in advance at or apply to vote by mail until March 10. Visit the Elections Ontario website for a full list of ways to vote and to search polling stations for election day by postal code.

Hamilton Centre candidates

Here is a complete list of candidates for the Hamilton Centre byelection:

• Peter House, Electoral Reform Party

• Lucia Iannantuono, Green Party of Ontario

• Sarah Jama, Ontario New Democratic Party

• Matthew Lingard, Independent

• Deirdre Pike, Ontario Liberal Party

• Mark Snow, Libertarian

• John Turmel, Independent

• Lee Weiss Vassor, New Blue

• Pete Wiesner, PC Party of Ontario

• Nathalie Zian Yi Yan, Independent

Information about the candidates can be found online.

Kate McCullough is an education reporter at The Spectator. kmccullough@thespec.com