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Hamilton officially adopts 2025 city budget. Here are the highlights

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Hamilton Mayor Andrea Horwath says she won’t use her strong mayor powers to veto amendments to the city budget, meaning the budget is now deemed adopted.

The budget was considered at a city council meeting on Feb. 12 and includes a 5.6 per cent property tax increase.

“This budget is grounded in the principles of building back better and stronger, with a focus on responsible decision-making to address our city’s most pressing challenges,” Horwath said in a statement issued Wednesday.

“It strikes a necessary balance – recognizing the affordability pressures residents face while tackling long-overdue investments in roads, transit, housing and information technology.”

READ MORE: Hamilton faced waste pickup delay Tuesday due to snow hills

Other key highlights from the city’s 2025 budget include:

Housing and Homelessness

  • A total investment of $192 million in housing and homelessness programs;
  • Expanding the emergency shelter system by 272 beds, which is an 80 per cent increase;
  • $4 million investment in the Affordable Housing Fund to create 450 new affordable housing units;
  • $4.2 million investment in Supportive Housing to create 435 supportive housing units;
  • Eliminating Development Charges for not-for-profit housing to provide new affordable and attainable housing units.

Infrastructure and Transit Enhancements

  • A $655 million investment in infrastructure and transit enhancements;
  • $190 million investment dedicated to the Transportation Network (roads, bridges, traffic, active transportation);
  • $75 million investment for the Transit and Maintenance Storage Facility;
  • $14.1 million investment in 15 additional HSR buses to deliver 53,000 more hours of transit service and support multi-modal transportation goals;
  • 18 new buses to modernize the transit fleet and support multi-modal transportation goals;
  • $3.3 million to expand the urban tree canopy, adding 20,000 new trees in 2025.

Public Safety, and Emergency and Community Services

  • $62 million to construct a new Paramedic Central Reporting Station;
  • $22.6 million for a new Fire and Police Station in Waterdown;
  • $31.7 million investment to expand Macassa Lodge, adding 20 new long-term care beds and redeveloping 44 existing ones;
  • Increased staffing hours at the city’s two lodges to enhance resident care;
  • 265 new child-care spaces through the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Plan;
  • Providing one-on-one support for an additional 180 children and youth with special needs, bringing the total to 433, and allowing participation at no additional cost.

Cybersecurity and Resiliency

  • Investing in cybersecurity resilience to protect against future threats and modernize city systems;
  • Finding efficiencies and solutions that enhance services and improve the customer experience.

READ MORE: CityHousing Hamilton fills nearly 500 vacant units

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