Hamilton mayor Fred Eisenberger joined us this morning. He talked about the federal government day care help, and the urban boundary vote.
Hamilton has gone straight to the federal government for day care help.
On Thursday, the city’s emergency and committee services committee unanimously approved a motion from Ward 3 Councillor Nrinder Nann asking city staff to potentially enter into a municipal agreement with the federal government directly.
The executive director of media relations to Premier Doug Ford tweeted her disapproval of the move.
The federal government is shortchanging Ontario but in Mayor @FredEisenberger’s mind it’s better to put pressure on the province to sign a bad deal rather than join the province in fighting for a fair deal for Ontario parents. https://t.co/DTokuHzwno
— Ivana Yelich (@yelich_ivana) November 19, 2021
In response, Eisenberger says he is trying to encourage the provincial government to sign the day care deal with the federal government.
“Subsidized day care is a critical issue for Hamilton residents, as well as residents across the province,” said Eisenberger. “The message is… do what nine other provinces have already done so far and let’s get an arrangement done.”
He says he would never encourage the province to sign a bad deal and that he anticipates a viable and sustainable daycare plan will come as negotiations continue.
Hamilton city councillors recently voted against a plan to expand the city’s urban boundary by 1,310 hectares.
“There are appeals [for the results] and there is potential that the province may step in…they thought it was irresponsible for the city to head in this direction,” said Eisenberger. “I personally think it’s about sustainability, it’s about climate change, it’s about ensuring that we contain our costs to the best degree possible.”
He says the issue of urban boundaries is not a decision that will be cemented forever because the data collected over the coming years will let the city know about the effects.
“It’s not a no-growth [decision] it’s a growth in existing boundaries,” said Eisenberger. “[We’re holding off] on expanding even more until we realize the potential of the LRT, the in-fill spaces that are still very much part of our inner city…once we’ve realized those opportunities we can have a look at how we need to manage that growth into the future.”
