Hamilton councillor urges city to turn motel into housing amid crime concerns

A Hamilton city councillor is asking the city to look into buying the Red Rose Motel and turning it into affordable housing.

Ward 5 Coun. Matt Francis says he’s concerned about the number of crimes at the motel.

CHCH News spoke to a representative from the motel over the phone who says he’s doing nothing wrong, he’s just running a business. He also says crime happens everywhere in Hamilton, not just at his motel.

But Coun. Francis says it’s time for the motel to go.

“It’s got to come to an end. We can’t turn a blind eye to this. We can’t turn a blind eye to the stabbings, the drug dealing, the prostitution. It’s got to come to an end here,” said Francis.

CHCH News was on scene at the motel after a woman was stabbed there earlier this month. In 2021, a 40-year-old man was also killed after being stabbed at the motel.

Numbers from Hamilton police show hundreds of calls for service at the motel since 2020. But the numbers have declined over the past couple of years, from 67 in 2023 to 43 in 2025.

READ MORE: Toronto man wanted for attempted murder after Hamilton motel stabbing

A few people who live near the motel say they agree the motel needs to go.

“We would like them closed down because they are very violent, there is always something that’s happening. And they are usually very violent crimes too,” said April Jackman, a local resident.

“We have senior citizens that live here, and during the summer at nighttime they want to walk to the store and they are scared because of that activity. As far as I’m concerned, they should either mow it down or shut it down,” said Henry Sierpinkski, another local resident.

CHCH News called the motel and asked to speak with the owner. The person on the phone declined to do an on-camera interview but he told us he’s doing nothing wrong — he’s running a business and renting rooms out.

But Francis says the lot is better suited for housing. He introduced a motion for city staff to look into possibly buying the motel.

“We are going to see what our options are of acquiring this property and building affordable housing on it without impacting taxpayers. And that will give us an opportunity to clean up the crime,” said Francis.

We found one resident who says the motel should stay.

“I think it’s a knee jerk reaction to a couple of bad incidents there. Everybody has the right to have a business,” said Raoul Lacarte, a local resident.

The person CHCH News spoke with over the phone from the motel said he has not been approached by anyone from the city just yet.

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