Andrea Horwath unveils ‘action plan’ for ‘thriving’ Hamilton

Mayoral candidate Andrea Horwath has unveiled a highly anticipated list of goals as the open race to lead Hamilton's next council enters its fall stretch.

Horwath's action plan for a thriving" city focuses on big-ticket items like housing, infrastructure, jobs, transit, road safety and the environment.

Restoring trust in city hall amid ongoing scandals also figures prominently in her pitch to become mayor after voters hit the polls on Oct. 24.

Since joining the race in late July, the former Hamilton Centre MPP and Ontario NDP leader has said little about issues or policies while main rivals for the top job have done so.

Horwath told reporters Monday she's very proud" of her action plan. Because it's not just from me; it's from the conversations and discussions I've had with Hamiltonians over the last several weeks."

She faces Keanin Loomis, former local chamber of commerce leader, and Bob Bratina, ex-Liberal MP and one-time mayor, in the contest to succeed Fred Eisenberger, who's not seeking re-election.

To ease Hamilton's housing crunch, Horwath proposes a dedicated city department that draws on expert staff to help unclog the city's approvals process.

Nonprofit and private developers alike have expressed frustrations over how long it takes for approvals to move projects forward, she said during a nearly 40-minute news conference at the Playhouse Cinema on Sherman Avenue North.

And people are waiting, not months, but years to get these things approved and done."

On the same file, Horwath also aims to help access funding from senior levels of government to build more affordable units and revitalize" CityHousing to improve living conditions and tenant services.

Meanwhile, people living in tents in city parks, she said, are really a symptom of a bigger problem," which is a lack of adequate shelter and support programs.

I don't think uprooting people and moving them to another space is solving any problem whatsoever."

Horwath also reconfirmed her support for a firm urban boundary - a position she took as MPP - to increase density in Hamilton's existing built-up area to avoid sprawl into outlying rural parcels.

She proposes working with council to develop a four-year plan to help the city tackle a multibillion-dollar infrastructure backlog that includes roads, bridges and sewer pipes.

The city must grow its commercial and industrial tax base to ease the burden on residents, Horwath said. Families need affordability, as well."

As a city councillor (1997 to 2004), Horwath noted, she pushed for two-way street conversions and other traffic calming measures. This work must continue and not fall off the agenda" to make streets safer for all users.

Horwath - who backs LRT - said she'd never stop expanding" Hamilton's public transit network but would ensure improvements are in tandem" with any departures from the contentious area-rating taxation system.

To address waning trust, she proposes striking a public advisory committee in the term's first 90 days to recommend ways to improve access, transparency and accountability.

Council's late disclosure of a 24-billion-litre sewage leak into a west-end creek and a buried Red Hill Valley Parkway report have shaken confidence in city hall, Horwath said. We need to be really upfront with folks when it comes to health and safety and well-being."

Horwath plans to make more announcements as the campaign progresses.

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