Ontario NDP leader draws attention to Hamilton’s black soot problem

Provincial NDP Leader Marit Stiles was in East Hamilton calling on Ontario’s environment minister to release the results of tests on samples recently taken of black soot that has been found in the area for years.

People who live near Hamilton’s industrial area say the black soot has coated their homes, children and pets, and they want answers.

Stiles says the province needs to release the findings on the mysterious black soot.

“People have a right to know what it is,” Stiles said. “We know that there is an investigation underway, that they are looking into it. We would like to know what it is, and I think it’s very concerning that the government refuses to answer questions.”

The Ministry of the Environment told CHCH News a couple of weeks ago that a team was sent to Hamilton to collect samples after residents reported black soot on their properties. But the findings have not been released publicly yet.

“I haven’t heard from one person who wasn’t concerned about this,” Stiles said. “It’s not just an annoyance. There’s something about it that’s sticking to people, and people have a right to know what it is.”

Residents who live in East Hamilton near the industrial area say they have experienced the black soot in the past, but they say this summer has been the worst they have ever seen.

WATCH MORE: Boaters, pet owners share worries about unidentified soot in East Hamilton

“A couple of weeks ago, [my children] go play outside, we had friends over, their hands were just covered, black with soot and their feet were black with soot,” one local mother said.

“I’m constantly cleaning her. Her feet, her legs, her arms. Her clothes are stained. And I’ve lived in Toronto, I’ve lived in a smaller town, and it’s nothing like I’ve had to deal with.”

CHCH News reached out to Hamilton City Councillor Jeff Beattie, who is also the Conservative candidate for Hamilton East-Stoney Creek after Neil Lumsden announced his retirement.

In a statement, Beattie said: “The Ministry of the Environment is testing samples of the soot to determine the content and source. Once established, if appropriate, the compliance division of the Ministry will take action.”

“We continue to undertake the necessary testing as we assess operations at industrial facilities in Hamilton’s north end to determine a likely source. Once complete, findings will be shared publicly, as they were in 2024, and our government will take enforcement action as needed,” writes a spokesperson for the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks in a statement. “As each deposit in the area may have a different contributing source, each instance must be assessed separately.”

Meanwhile, residents are left wondering if they should be concerned.

“This is just next level and it’s not something I expected moving to Hamilton,” one resident said.

WATCH MORE: What we know so far about the black soot blanketing East Hamilton