PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT

Posted on by lyndzeefreeman

Poor air quality impacts City services on Friday, July 17

Due to sustained poor air quality across the City of Hamilton, some City services, including waste collection and outdoor recreation programs, are being modified or cancelled on Friday, July 17. These decisions have been made out of an abundance of caution to protect the health and safety of residents and staff.

City waste collection status for Friday, July 17:

  • Collection of waste (garbage, green bin and yard waste) as part of Friday collection routes in Wards 4, 5, 12 and 13 is cancelled. Residents are asked to bring their waste in from the curb or they can deliver to the City’s three Community Recycling Centres at no charge.
  • Option 1: Bring your garbage, green bin, yard waste and bulk items back onto your property and place them back at the curb next Friday, July 24 for collection.
     To help residents manage an extra week of waste accumulation, the garbage limit on Friday, July 24 only will increase to three (3) bags or containers. The maximum weight remains 50 lbs (23 kg) per bag or container.
  • Option 2: Deliver your waste to a Community Recycling Centre (locations) for no charge on Friday July 17 or Saturday July 18.
     Food waste must be packaged in a garbage bag. Residents are asked to separate recyclables from garbage and will be asked to confirm postal code to confirm waste collection day.

Community Recycling Centres are not open on Sundays.

  • Waste collection (garbage, green bin and yard waste) is expected to proceed in Wards 6, 9 and 11 through the City’s contractor, GFL.
  • GFL, the contractor for the transitioned Blue Box program, is expected to complete Blue Box collection in Wards 4, 5, 6, 9, 11, 12 and 13.
  • Staff will be performing less physically strenuous cleanliness activities in the downtown core, such as emptying litter containers with the use of a mechanical tipper.

The following outdoor recreation programs, amenities and activities are closed or
cancelled on July 17:

  • Supie programs
  • Wading pools
  • Outdoor pools
  • Pier 8 Boat tours
  • Pier 8 Trolley tours

Wild Waterworks will also be closed today due to the poor air quality.


The following recreation programs and services will be modified today:

  • Camp Kidaca programs will take place mainly indoors
  • Free Fitness at the Park will move indoors
  • Additional open swims will be offered at indoor pools

    For an online list of indoor swimming offerings, please visit: Recreation Centres &
    Indoor Pools.

Golf courses will remain open. Junior Golf Camp is cancelled. Affected families will be contacted directly. Beverage cart service will not be available today. Refreshments will be available at clubhouses.

Reminder: Information for Thursday Collection Residents
If your regular collection day is Thursday and your waste was not picked up on July 16:

  • Place your waste back at the curb next Thursday, July 23, for collection.
  • To help residents manage an extra week of waste accumulation, the garbage
    limit on Thursday, July 23 only will increase to three (3) bags or containers.
  • The maximum weight remains 50 lbs (23 kg) per bag or container.

Further service impacts will be communicated on the City’s website, social media or directly to affected user groups.

We understand these service disruptions are inconvenient and appreciate residents’ patience and understanding as we prioritize the health and safety of our staff and residents.

Outdoor pools temporarily close due to Air Quality Warning

Posted on by lyndzeefreeman

Due to the Air Quality Warning and out of an abundance of caution, the City of Hamilton will be temporarily closing outdoor pools until air quality conditions improve.


All outdoor pools have closed and will reopen once the air quality warning is lifted. Wading pools remain closed at this time.

The following recreation centres offer regularly scheduled drop-in indoor swimming:

  • Ancaster Aquatic Centre
  • Bennetto Community Centre
  • Bernie Morelli Recreation Centre
  • Central Memorial Recreation Centre
  • Dalewood Recreation Centre
  • Dominic Agostino Riverdale Community Centre
  • Dundas Community Pool
  • H.G. Brewster Pool
  • Hill Park Recreation Centre
  • Huntington Park Recreation Centre
  • Kanétskare Recreation Centre
  • Norman Pinky Lewis Recreation Centre
  • Sir Allan MacNab Recreation Centre
  • Sir Wilfrid Laurier Recreation Centre
  • Sir Winston Churchill Recreation Centre
  • Stoney Creek Recreation Centre
  • Westmount Recreation Centre

For an online list of indoor swimming offerings, please visit: Recreation Centres & Indoor Pools


City of Hamilton staff will take appropriate precautions by moving outdoor activities indoors where possible or adjusting activities to reduce outdoor exposure.

Reduce your health risk from poor air quality wherever possible. Wildfire smoke contains fine particles that can be harmful to everyone, particularly young children, seniors, pregnant people, individuals with asthma, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary
Disease (COPD) or heart disease, and people who work outdoors.

Waste Collection in Ward 9 is Proceeding

Posted on by Councillor Brad Clark

Collection is going ahead

Friday collection in Wards 6, 9 and 11 (and a small area in Ward 5):

These waste collection routes are serviced by our Contractor, GFL.  GFL has crews on the routes and anticipate collecting all garbage, green bin, yard waste and bulky items today.

Collection is cancelled, with options

Friday collection in Wards 4, 5, 12 (rural) and 13:

These routes are serviced by our City waste collection staff.  The collection of garbage, green bin, yard waste will not occur today.  At this time, impacted residents are asked to bring their waste back in from the curb and set it out on their collection day next Friday July 24th. To help with compounding residential waste for two weeks, the garbage container limit for Friday July 24th will be three (3) bags / containers for that day only. Reminder the weight limit per bag / container is 50 lbs.

Alternatively, residents with a Thursday or Friday waste collection day who did not receive waste collection this week are able to deliver their waste to the city’s three Community Recycling Centres (locations) at no charge today or on Saturday July 18th. 

  • Residents will be asked for postal code to confirm waste collection day
  • Recyclables must be separated from garbage
  • Food waste is considered garbage and must be packaged in a bag for drop off
  • CRCs are not open Sundays

An extension to the drop off option may occur if Monday’s collection program is impacted by the sustained poor air quality.

Blue Box Recycling is going ahead

The Contractor for the transitioned blue box program has advised that they will be collecting blue box recycling today.  All seven Wards with recycling collection today (4, 5, 6, 9, 11, 12 and 13) should anticipate having their blue boxes collected today.

Less strenuous activities to continue

City waste collection staff have been assigned to less strenuous cleanliness activities such as emptying litter containers in the downtown with the support of a mechanical tipper. 

Operationally, the team continues to assess waste collection day by day.  At this time we are monitoring resources for projected air quality over the coming days. Waste collection staff will report to work Monday morning anticipating to head out on Monday waste collection routes.

Waste Management staff are working with Corporate Communications to update our residents of this service impact including a Public Service Announcement,  adding an announcement on the City’s webpage and sharing across social media channels.

We thank the residents for their patience and apologize for the inconvenience this may cause.