General Issues Committee

That the agenda for the July 9, 2025 General Issues Committee meeting, be approved, as presented.

The minutes of the June 11, 2025 (Item 5.1) meeting of the General Issues Committee, be adopted, as presented.

That the Delegation from Mike Schreiner, MPP, Ontario Green Party (Item 6.1 (a)) and Bobbi Ann Brady, MPP, Haldimand-Norfolk (Item 6.1 (b)), be permitted to address the Committee for an additional 5 minutes.

That the following delegations respecting Protecting Hamilton’s Farmland (Item 9.1), be received: 6.1(a) Mike Schreiner, MPP, Ontario Green Party (In-Person) 6.1(b) Bobbi Ann Brady, MPP, Haldimand-Norfolk (In-Person) 6.1(c) Drew Spoelstra, Ontario Federation of Agriculture (In-Person)

That the following delegations respecting Report PED24163(c), 10-Year Downtown Revitalization Strategy Project Update and Interim Consultant's Report (Ward 2) (Item 7.4), be received: 6.2(a) Stephen DeCordova, McMaster Students Union (In-Person) 6.2(b) Karl Andrus, Hamilton Community Benefits Network (In-Person)

That the following Items for Information, be received: 7.1 Open for Business Sub-Committee Minutes OBSC 25-002 - June 3, 2025 7.2 Climate Change Advisory Committee Minutes: (a) Climate Change Advisory Committee Minutes CCAC 25-004 - April 29, 2025 (b) Climate Change Advisory Committee CCAC 25-005 - May 27, 2025 7.3 PW25045 Digital Tools to Enhance Public Safety (Outstanding Business List) 7.6 Accessibility Committee for Persons with Disabilities Minutes ACPD 25-006 - June 10, 2025

That Report PED24163(c), respecting the 10-Year Downtown Revitalization Strategy Project Update and Interim Consultant's Report (Ward 2), and the accompanying presentation, be received.

That the General Issues Committee recess at 1:00 p.m. until 1:35 p.m.

That Report PED25163, respecting Hamilton’s Biodiversity Action Plan 2025 Annual Update (City Wide), and the accompanying presentation, be received.

That the Amendments to the Outstanding Business List, be approved, as follows: 8.1(a) Items Considered Complete and Needing to be Removed: Heat Response Strategy (BOH24010) (City Wide) Added: 04/29/24 at Public Health Committee Completed: 05/21/25 at GIC (Item 7.2) 8.1(b) Items Requiring a New Due Date: Public Access to Hamilton Piers (PW24061) (Ward 5) (Outstanding Business List Item) OBL Item: GIC-10/16/24-10.2(e) Added: 10/16/24 at GIC Original Due Date: 10/31/25 Proposed New Due Date: 01/31/26 Result: MOTION,

That Report PED25148, dated June 11, 2025, respecting Art Gallery of Hamilton (City Wide) be amended by adding an additional sub-section, as follows: (g) That staff be directed to prepare a report respecting the Art Gallery of Hamilton (City Wide) for the July 16, 2025 Council meeting with the recommendations in a form that clearly delineates the amount of $1,725,556, the funding increase of $801,093 and the Capital $2,365.900 funding for the roof. Result: AMENDMENT,

That recommendation (e) be amended, as follows: (e) That, pending successful 2026 budget deliberations, staff BE DIRECTED to prepare and execute a license agreement with the Art Gallery of Hamilton, incorporating the ongoing funding described in recommendations (b), (c), and (d) to come into effect January 1, 2026; Result: AMENDMENT,

That Items 8.2(a) and 8.2(b) as follows, be received: 8.2(a) FCS25042 2024 Art Gallery of Hamilton Audited Financial Statements (City Wide) 8.2(b) Correspondence respecting Report PED25148, Art Gallery of Hamilton (Item 8.3): (i) Evelyn Myrie, President, Afro Canadian Caribbean Association (A.C.C.A.) (ii) Dr. Sheila Harms, McMaster University Please refer to the July 16, 2025 Council minutes for the disposition of these matters. General Issues Committee July 9, 2025 Minutes – GIC 25-009 Page 8 of 19 Result: MOTION,

That the Business Improvement Area Sub-Committee Minutes BIAC 25-006 - June 17, 2025, be received and the recommendations contained therein, be approved. Result: MOTION,

That the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board Liaison Committee Minutes PBCL 25-002 - June 26, 2025, be received and the recommendations contained therein, be approved. Result: MOTION,

That the Light Rail Transit Sub-Committee Minutes LRTC 25-003 - June 26, 2025, be received and the recommendations contained therein, be approved. Result: MOTION,

WHEREAS, Ontario Farmers produce the best tasting, most nutritious and safest to consume food in the world; WHEREAS, in our confusing economic tariff challenged world, we need to acknowledge that food security and food sovereignty is a national security issue. (NOTE: Food Security is the ability of individuals to receive adequate nourishment while Food Sovereignty refers to the ability of a country to supply its own food needs); WHEREAS, MPP’s Bobbi Ann Brady and Mike Schreiner have jointly presented a Private Member Bill at the Ontario Legislature to protect Ontario farmlands through the establishment of an ‘Ontario Food Belt.’; WHEREAS, Ontario is losing 130 hectares (319 acres) of farmland every day and once this land is gone it is gone forever; WHEREAS, the 319 acres of agricultural land lost every single day could produce: 24 million apples, 1.2 million bottles of quality Ontario VQA wines or 37 million strawberries; WHEREAS, the Bill would make farmlands within a designated Food belt permanently protected from development; WHEREAS, the Bill could improve land-use planning, improve soil health and encourage all farmland to be used in the production of food; WHEREAS, the Agri- Food industry represents a $50 BILLION contribution to Ontario’s Gross Domestic Product and employs almost 900,000 people; WHEREAS, Hamilton citizens engaged in overwhelming numbers related to their opposition to urban boundary expansion with the particular focus on the saving of farmland; WHEREAS,

WHEREAS, the Cleanliness and Security in the Downtown Core Task Force was originally struck in 2003; WHEREAS, a Task Force is meant to have a limited scope and is not meant to be in existence for an extended duration; WHEREAS, the Task Force discussed this issue at its April 1, 2025 meeting, recognized the issue, and agreed there should be a governance change; WHEREAS, the issues facing our downtown are interconnected and do not easily fit into categories of "cleanliness" and "security"; WHEREAS, there are currently vacancies on the Task Force due to an updated Terms of Reference to include more representatives from local small businesses; and, WHEREAS, this matter could also be raised at the Governance Review Sub- Committee but that Sub-Committee will not meet until the fall and the Task Force would like to begin recruitment for vacancies under the new name to reach a broader audience of interested applicants. THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED: (a) That the Cleanliness and Security in the Downtown Core Task Force be renamed to the Downtown Sub-Committee; and, (b) That the Terms of Reference for the Cleanliness and Security in the Downtown Core Task Force be updated to reflect this change. Result: MOTION,

That the Closed Session minutes of the June 11, 2025 General Issues Committee meeting, be adopted and remain confidential.

That Police Chief Frank Bergen, Deputy Chief Paul Hamilton, Deputy Chief Ryan Diodati, Duncan Robertson, Interim Director of Finance and Doris Ciardullo from Hamilton Police Service, be permitted to attend the Closed Session portion of the General Issues Committee Meeting respecting Report PED25157, Hamilton Police Services Central Headquarters (City Wide) (Item 11.4). Result: MOTION,

That Committee move into Closed Session for Items 11.3, 11.4, and 11.5 at 3:12 p.m. pursuant to Section 9.3, Sub-Sections (c), (d), (e), (f), and (k) of the City's Procedural By-law 21-021, as amended, and Section 239(2), Sub- sections (c), (d), (e), (f), and (k) of the Ontario Municipal Act, 2001, as amended, as the subject matter pertains to a proposed or pending acquisition or disposition of land for city or a local board purpose; labour relations or employee negotiations; litigation or potential litigation, including matters before administrative tribunals, affecting the City or a local board; advice that is subject to solicitor-client privilege, including communications necessary for that purpose; and a position, plan, procedure, criteria or instruction to be applied to any negotiations carried on or to be carried on by or on behalf of the municipality or local board. Result: MOTION,

That the order of items to be dealt with in Closed Session be considered in the following order: 11.4, 11.3 and 11.5. Result: MOTION,

That Report LS23027(d), respecting General Litigation Update (City Wide), BE RECEIVED AND REMAIN CONFIDENTIAL. Result: MOTION,

(a) That the directions provided to staff in closed session respecting Report PED25157, Hamilton Police Services Central Headquarters BE APPROVED AND REMAIN CONFIDENTIAL; and, Please refer to the July 16, 2025 Council minutes for the disposition of these matters. General Issues Committee July 9, 2025 Minutes – GIC 25-009 Page 18 of 19 (b) That Report PED25157, respecting the Hamilton Police Services Central Headquarters REMAIN CONFIDENTIAL. Result: MOTION,

That the Confidential Presentation respecting Labour Disruption Update Hamilton Ontario Water Employees Association (HOWEA) - REVISED, BE RECEIVED AND REMAIN CONFIDENTIAL. Result: MOTION,