The Hamilton Community Land Trust is excited to announce the launch of a new initiative
aimed at supporting tenant organizing and growing the social housing stock in the city’s Light
Rail Transit corridor.
The project is titled “Organizing Fightback to Transit-Induced Gentrification: A Renters’ Plan for Hamilton’s Light Rail Transit Lands.”
With the announcement of funding for Light Rail Transit by the provincial government in 2015
and the introduction of new Transit Oriented Corridor Zones by the municipal government in
2016, property values in the corridor have increased dramatically. In addition to the 90
properties purchased by Metrolinx, there have been many acquisitions by landlord investment
companies and condominium developers in the neighbourhoods along the route. This has
resulted in rent increases, renovictions, demovictions, and growing housing insecurity in
general.
The goal of this project is to build a campaign to put pressure on Metrolinx and the City of
Hamilton to donate land leftover from the LRT to social housing developers, including the
Hamilton CLT and others. In addition, to develop a publicly-funded acquisitions plan for vacant
properties and apartment buildings in corridor neighbourhoods. Finally, to increase tenant
protections and provide support for tenant organizers and legal aid lawyers.
Funding for this project is provided by the Community Housing Transformation Centre, a
national non-profit organization funded by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation with the goal of catalyzing the growth of community housing across Canada. Specifically, this project is supported by the organization’s Community-Based Tenant Initiative Fund which aims to build the capacity of tenant associations and empower tenants to assert our demands in development plans that affect us.
We are grateful to community partners from the Hamilton Community Legal Clinic and the
Hamilton is Home coalition of affordable housing developers for supporting our application.
The project will take place over the summer and fall of 2023. Activities will include a series of
tenant organizer training workshops, tenant survey, tenant forum, documentary film,
community newspaper, and Renters’ Plan report.
Emily Power has been hired as coordinator for this project. Emily recently graduated from the
Master’s of Urban Planning program at the University of Toronto. She has experience as a
tenant organizer, having volunteered with the Hamilton Tenants Solidarity Network, a city-wide
network, and King Street Tenants United, a group focused on supporting Metrolinx tenants in
winning compensation and rehousing support. As part of her graduate studies, Emily did
research on the financialization of Hamilton’s apartment stock, pandemic evictions, above guideline rent increases, short-term rentals, transit-induced gentrification, and the impact of
renovictions, demovictions, and condo conversions.
If you have questions about this project or want to get involved, please reach out to
emily.power@hamiltonclt.org. The Hamilton CLT is always happy to welcome new members
and volunteers.
Please sign up for the Hamilton CLT newsletter to receive updates, including invitations to
events and links to project publications.
