Human Resources committee  We are certainly seeing increased homelessness and increased demand for shelter space. We are seeing increases in the number of people who are underhoused or in insufficient housing. That is certainly a significant concern in our city.

Human Resources committee  We are seeing the acquisition of some of our formerly affordable rentals with renovation of those units and putting them back on market at a higher rate.

Human Resources committee  Certainly, for some of the larger brownfield sites, off-site impacts and de-risking the off-site impacts become a significant issue. For a lot of what we see in Hamilton, though, when we talk about the brownfield sites, it's less about the large-scale former industrial sites. You see a lot of old dry cleaners and gas stations.

Human Resources committee  Okay. Yes, they could. It is certainly one of the most successful programs we've had in our municipality. As I said earlier, it's somewhere around 20 years that we have had those programs in place. They have been quite successful in bringing lands to market that we otherwise wouldn't have been able to.

Human Resources committee  Yes, I'll add one quick comment. One thing I like about the gas tax model is the certainty and predictability of the funding. I think that's really important, especially in something like development approvals, which you're in for the long game. That predictability of funding would be key.

Human Resources committee  I'll offer a couple of thoughts. One—and I think I've heard it from other witnesses as well—is around the direct acquisition by either municipalities or housing providers of some of that low-cost rental housing that is market housing but is at risk of escalating rents. I think that would be a useful part of the program.

Human Resources committee  With existing buildings, we have seen the loss of some of the market-owned affordable rentals that we had. I think being able to acquire and protect some of those for long-term affordability would provide great value. We also have, in Hamilton, a number of sites that are vacant, underutilized, pre-zoned and development-ready, but that are not necessarily in the hands or in the situation of someone who's looking to develop them in the short term.

Human Resources committee  In 2021, in the city of Hamilton, and I don't think we're alone on this in the province of Ontario, we had a record-setting year in terms of the number of residential units that were created in the city. It's not just residential, as we had a record year for industrial. We had a record year for commercial, and we had a record year for overall construction value.

Human Resources committee  Yes, I think that would be helpful. Right now the scope of those programs is limited by the funding that's available off the municipal levy. Certainly, if there was more funding available, the scope and the impact of those programs could be expanded.

Human Resources committee  One, it could partner with the city in one of the most successful programs that we have under way now, which is a fairly robust suite of incentive programs. We found that in our downtown core, and I can imagine Sarnia would be similar, the market is not in a place where it can necessarily create the kinds of residential units we'd like to see.

Human Resources committee  Thanks for the opportunity to speak to the committee today. My name is Jason Thorne and I'm the general manager of planning and economic development at the City of Hamilton. In this role I lead a department that's responsible for all aspects of planning approvals, as well as economic development, administering the city's development incentive programs, and managing the city's real estate portfolio.