Hamilton council firms up $1.5M deal with Cardus for Balfour Estate

The city is inking a 17-year lease agreement with a Christian think tank to restore and reside in a heritage home on the Mountain brow.

The Cardus Institute won't pay the city rent but will invest at least $1.5 million in renovations at the Balfour Estate off Scenic Drive over the term.

The deal with Cardus will result in a fantastic adaptive reuse" of the 19th century home, Mayor Fred Eisenberger said Wednesday.

So I just want to express my gratitude for their determination to see this through."

But Coun. John-Paul Danko argued the city is selling taxpayers short and could have fetched twice as much according to fair market value for 7,000 square feet of office space.

The city didn't solicit other proposals and instead hashed out the deal with Cardus, he noted.

It's unfortunate that we're at this position to not have a public bid process to compare that to."

It's very difficult" to compare the unique property" to other office space, said David McCullagh, a senior consultant in the city's real estate division.

They are taking this office space on an as-is basis," McCullagh added.

The Ontario Heritage Trust owns the property, but in 1979, the city agreed to act as its steward in an arrangement that expires in December 2039.

The trust has approved the Cardus plan in principle but is still reviewing details of the proposal, tourism director Carrie Brooks-Joiner said.

The property costs the city about $23,000 a year to maintain in such expenses as grass-cutting and hydro that Cardus will now assume, Brooks-Joiner noted.

The city has received some revenue from film shoots at the estate, but that varies dramatically from year to year" and isn't enough to cover the costs, she said.

The Balfour Estate, also known as Chedoke, has been a challenge" for years, not unlike other heritage properties the city has struggled to maintain and repurpose, Eisenberger said.

Auchmar, a mansion at West 5th Street and Fennell Avenue, and St. Mark's Church on Bay Street South and Hunter Street are other examples, he said.

Coun. Esther Pauls called Cardus a great organization" that has put their money where their mouth is" to restore the Balfour home.

But the deal has come under fire by members of the city's LGBTQ community and allies for the think tank's socially conservative leanings.

Wrong way to go," Ward 2 candidate Cameron Kroetsch posted on Twitter following council's 10-3 vote to approve the lease.

Cardus has made it clear that it intends to use this space to promote its operations and influence government. This will not be a safe space for all."

In 2020, president and CEO Michael Van Pelt told council Cardus is a faith-based organization. We come out of a Christian tradition, and we are not apologetic for that."

In an address to council Wednesday, heritage advocate Sarah Sheehan called the Balfour Estate a stunning property" that the city should find a way to open to the public.

Is privatizing Chedoke really a good deal for Hamilton?" Sheehan asked. Seventeen years is a long time. That's more than four terms of council."

Under the deal, Cardus will allow public access to the grounds during business hours and offer tours from time to time. The home was recently featured in Doors Open Hamilton.

It's regrettable" that it won't be open past banking hours" and on weekends, said Coun. Maureen Wilson, who, along with Danko and Coun. Nrinder Nann, voted against the deal.

Teviah Moro is a reporter at The Spectator. tmoro@thespec.com