Sheila Copps endorses Andrea Horwath’s run to become Hamilton’s next mayor

It's time for Hamilton to elect a woman as mayor - and that woman should be Andrea Horwath, says a homegrown political trailblazer.

Sheila Copps - who in the 1990s became the first woman to serve as deputy prime minister - offered Horwath that endorsement Friday.

Hamilton is one of the oldest, most established cities in Canada, and it's incredible to think that we've never had a woman as mayor," she told reporters at Pier 8.

Copps, who was Liberal MP for Hamilton East and held portfolios in prime minister Jean Chretien's cabinet, said the former Ontario NDP leader has ample political experience to be mayor.

She's a collaborative leader and she knows how to work together with people," said Copps, who was also MPP. And I think divisions bring cities down. Unity brings cities up and I think she can really do that."

Horwath said she's honoured" to have Copps's support, noting she served with her mother, Geraldine, on council before jumping to provincial politics.

The Copps family - including Sheila's father, Victor, who was mayor of Hamilton (1962 to 1976) - has left an indelible mark" on the city, the candidate said. A new city park at Pier 8 is called Copps Pier Park.

Horwath has also secured the endorsement of the Hamilton and District Labour Council.

Mayoral candidate rival Keanin Loomis, meanwhile, has the endorsements of Laborers' International Union of North America (LIUNA) and ex-Liberal cabinet minister Catherine McKenna, who is from Hamilton.

Bob Bratina, a former Liberal MP who's hoping to become a second-time mayor after his 2010-14 tenure, has the support of Conservative MP Dan Muys (Flamborough-Glanbrook).

Bratina on CityHousing

The public school board should sell land in east Hamilton to the city to salvage a CityHousing plan for 44 seniors' apartments, Bratina says.

The mid-rise project - part of a plan to expand the Dominic Agostino Riverdale Community Centre - has been shelved due to provincial legislation that restricts housing on school properties. The 150 Violet Dr. centre is attached to Lake Avenue Public School.

I would suggest that a $1 transaction could solve this problem and they could carry on with the building of that project," Bratina told reporters Tuesday. He also suggested tremendous power in the hands of the province" could help move the housing project forward.

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