FWIW, I've found my last few interactions with Hamilton Police dispatch to be much better than in recent years. A few weeks ago, I witnessed an impaired and/or distracted driver. They crashed their vehicle. Call the non-emerg line. Dispatcher was good. hamiltonpolice.on.ca/news/eight-i...

I fought Barton Street, and Barton Street won. I suffered an ankle sprain yesterday, and am ensuring to rest my ankle as much as possible to ensure recovery. Minimal impact on my City Hall coverage (I won't be at a Mountain event tomorrow evening), but means no spot news coverage. My Note:

Now on TPR: Another concerning stat for the health of Hamilton's downtown -- the number of people visiting the Hamilton Farmers' Market is decreasing. For the first time since measurements began (COVID excluded) the Market is reporting fewer visitors year-over-year. #yhmcc #HamOnt

Now on TPR Hamilton's Police Board briefly apologized on Friday for violating open meeting rules. The apology was retracted 16 minutes later. #yhmcc thepublicrecord.ca/2026/07/hami...

Now on TPR The Hamilton Conservation Authority is the first Hamilton agency to announce 2027 budget goal. The HCA is seeking a 3.7 per cent increase from Hamilton City Council - and due to Provincial conservation amalgamations, Hamilton Council will have to decide before October's election. #yhmcc

I am focusing on photography and notetaking during this event. Full story, with extensive quotations, will come on TPR.

Good afternoon. We are now 100 days from municipal election day in #HamOnt. I am at the Keanin Loomis mayoral campaign launch. Coverage to follow. #yhmvote

Now launched! TPR Open Data Hamilton Building Permits since 2010 I cleaned up 197 separate messy PDFs, corrected errors, (including 2600 manual reviews), and even pulled original records to ensure accuracy. Read the spreadsheets, or if you prefer maps buildingpermits.thepublicrecord.ca (1/4)

A plausible explanation is someone filed an Integrity Commissioner complaint. Hwang's statement is very similar to one Nann issued after revealing confidential matters. It is required to try to confuse what the legal advice was. The solution is for Council to stop defaulting to secrecy. #yhmcc

"FDA's traceback investigation has identified a single supplier of shredded iceberg lettuce from Mexico used by the Taco Bell locations where sick people ate before becoming ill." #Cyclospora www.cdc.gov/cyclosporias...

Tonight's Hamilton Cardinals game is postponed due to air quality.

It is very good that Meta is in decline - especially because their 'pervert glasses' are causing a backlash Meta permits people with 'pervert glasses' to post harassment, stalking, and even content they film in public washrooms. Content that Meta removes otherwise. www.engadget.com/2212604/the-...

Note: I am observing the Hamilton Municipal Heritage Committee meeting. Ward 2 Clr Cameron Kroetsch was on time at 12 noon. (I am having a photo sync issue, likely my fault, I'm doing a bunch of backend change to improve my workflow)

Hamilton Police Service says this morning's two vehicle collision at the intersection of King Street East and Balsam Avenue is now a Special Investigations Unit matter. The road closure will remain in place while the SIU collects and documents evidence. #HamOnt hamiltonpolice.on.ca/news/siu-inv...

BY-ELECTION COMING Hamilton East - Stoney Creek MPP Neil Lumsden is retiring "effective August 4. " #HamOnt

Regarding the Hamilton Police Board's now-recalled apology: Ontario's Inspectorate of Police, in Advisory Bulletin 2.1, closely adapts the Ontario Ombudsman's jurisprudence regarding open meetings. 'Committees don't matter because decisions have to be ratified' has been rejected by the Ombuds.

The Hamilton Police Service Board has issued a "recall" on its apology statement. #yhmcc

The Inspectorate of Policing is investigating yesterday's meeting of the Hamilton Police Service Board Governance Committee. In response to the beginning of the investigation, the HPSB has apologized and claims they made an "oversight error" in the meeting documents and notices. #yhmcc

Due to poor air quality, some City services, including waste collection and outdoor recreation programs, are modified or cancelled on Friday, July 17, to help keep residents and staff safe. PSA>> www.hamilton.ca/index.php/ci...

I'm tracking a few Hamilton cases that are at the Supreme Court of Canada with leave to appeal applications. The leave application package in John Dunford v. Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board is now before the judges for consideration. ONCA summary: otlablog.com/dunford-v-ha...

Here's the portion of the AI Data Centre legal advice that Hamilton City Council agreed to release. I do not have a timeline for when I can complete this - I will write my own analysis regarding Planning Act Section 62.0.2 I need to meet some municipal election coverage deadlines first. (1/3)

Halifax’s CFO said legal expenses from Mayor Andy Fillmore’s office ‘could be deemed fraudulent’ reported by Suzanne Rent @suzannerent.bsky.social

All you need to know👇 www.nytimes.com/live/2026/07...

The only way to cover this is to say plainly, repeatedly, and pointedly: Trump is knowingly lying about what the intelligence says, about what happened, and he's doing it in an attempt to change election rules in his favor. This isn't analysis. It's demonstrably true.

Due to poor air quality, Waste Management suspended garbage, green bin, yard waste and bulk waste collection at midday on July 16 to protect collection crews. Approximately 50% of scheduled routes were completed before service was paused. PSA>> www.hamilton.ca/index.php/ci...

City of Hamilton suspends garbage collection due to air quality risks for workers City says approx 50% of homes were collected today. City asks residents to stor their uncollected garbage, green bin, yard waste, bulk items, and recycling until next Thursday. City will update re Friday.

The City of Markham has confirmed that Arvin Prasad violated its employee code of conduct by failing to disclose his conflict of interest in a development application. Prasad was working as a consultant at the same time as he Markham's top planner. Prasad was later hired by Hamilton as GM Planning

The first Bubble Zone bylaw case to reach the appellant level will be Calgary's. Appeal Court decisions are only binding within the jurisdiction, nonetheless, they persuasive. Ontario's Superior Court often accepts and cites the findings other province's appellant courts. theccf.ca/alberta-cour...

The Hamilton Police Service Board announced their meeting would begin at 11:00 a.m. today The Board invoked emergency provisions and held the meeting at 10:30 a.m. this morning - de facto preventing the public from attending. The public meeting was over at 11:00 a.m. #yhmcc

Former Ward 14 Councillor Robert Pasuta is at City Hall today for Committee of Adjustment. I asked him "are you going downstairs" [to the City Clerk's counter]. He laughed, saying he knew I make that joke.

Good morning, Hamilton's Committee of Adjustment is underway. I am in the public gallery observing today's hearings.

Mayor Andrea Horwath is announcing this morning that the City has selected Crosswalk Communities, a non-profit affordable housing provider, to develop up to 60 affordable rental units at 5 and 13 Lake Avenue South. #yhmcc

Same for Metrolinx - many West Harbour, weekend crew shortage cancellations. @jakelandau.ca 100%: "However, now that the world's eyes have shifted elsewhere, the TTC is immediately reverting to the janky, broken experience that locals have come to begrudgingly accept as the norm."

For those so inclined, the Ombudsman of Ontario has provided a more fulsome interpretation of Section 236(1) allowance to meet in an "adjacent municipality" that cites case law going back to 1955. Adopts “adjacency” broadly to mean nearby rather than directly bordering. canlii.ca/t/km179#par35

I took a 'break' tonight and asked a few people to test my soon to launch Hamilton Building Permit open data project. A person wanted to find permits for a new sub-division. Problem: the popularly known address is not the same as the permit address. Fix: add no permit addresses to the app. [1/2]

Ontario's Superior Court as confirmed (AGAIN for municipalities ignoring the law) The Charter protects the public's right to attend Council meetings. Video alternates are *no* substitute. I'm posting highlights, Township lost on every point in this injunction ruling. #onmuni canlii.ca/t/km1w4

#Hamont Please see my statement regarding Council's decision on the Interim Control Bylaw

And this is the post-meeting note to say thanks for all the comments, I will do my best to get back to as many of them as I can on the various platforms.

Thank you everyone who followed today's live coverage.I'll have more to follow. I am now closing the liveblog. key https://thepublicrecord.ca/2026/07/live-coverage-hamilton-city-council-votes-today-on-ai-data-centre-bylaw/#liveblog-entry-31856

Council just voted to NOT implement an Interim Control bylaw. Stay by for the vote count... hamont yhmcc key https://thepublicrecord.ca/2026/07/live-coverage-hamilton-city-council-votes-today-on-ai-data-centre-bylaw/#liveblog-entry-31853

Mayor Andrea Horwath says the two Hamilton data centres are public interest ones, they are non-profits and will enable Canadian institutions to stop buying compute from … https://thepublicrecord.ca/2026/07/live-coverage-hamilton-city-council-votes-today-on-ai-data-centre-bylaw/#liveblog-entry-31849

Hamilton City Council just voted to NOT implement interim control against data centres. It was a 6-10 vote. #yhmcc #HamOnt Read my full live blog coverage here: thepublicrecord.ca/2026/07/live...

Ward 14 Councillor Mike Spadafora opens by stating it needs to "be clear" that there are rules in plan to regulate building and data centres. "Let's just be clear about … https://thepublicrecord.ca/2026/07/live-coverage-hamilton-city-council-votes-today-on-ai-data-centre-bylaw/#liveblog-entry-31845

City Solicitor Lisa Shields provides a public summary of a portion of the legal advice given to City Council in closed session.Does Section 62.0.2 of the Planning Act al… https://thepublicrecord.ca/2026/07/live-coverage-hamilton-city-council-votes-today-on-ai-data-centre-bylaw/#liveblog-entry-31839

Spadafora - OPPOSED to Interim Control. Confirmed Vote Count, on statements today, is 3-3 thus far. Follow the liveblog here: thepublicrecord.ca/2026/07/live...

Hamilton Councillors are switching their votes on the Interim Control Bylaw. I'm live blogging here: #yhmcc #HamOnt thepublicrecord.ca/2026/07/live...

City of Hamilton City Solicitor: The City of Hamilton *CANNOT* stop McMaster University from building its 44 Frid Street data centre. It is an "undertaking" of the University. As per Section 62.0.2 of the Planning Act, the City cannot apply an Interim Control Bylaw against McMaster. #yhmcc #HamOnt

Council closed session as ended. I am back in the Council Chamber and live blogging coverage resumes key https://thepublicrecord.ca/2026/07/live-coverage-hamilton-city-council-votes-today-on-ai-data-centre-bylaw/#liveblog-entry-31837

Council has been in closed session for approximately two hours. That's the full liveblog update at this time. key https://thepublicrecord.ca/2026/07/live-coverage-hamilton-city-council-votes-today-on-ai-data-centre-bylaw/#liveblog-entry-31835

Council remains in closed session. A quick "on-the-scene" update with photos. People are enjoying discussions, with many people on differing sides of issues chatting. A … https://thepublicrecord.ca/2026/07/live-coverage-hamilton-city-council-votes-today-on-ai-data-centre-bylaw/#liveblog-entry-31834