Councillor Brad Clark wants your opinion on the application to expand the Urban Boundary in Elfrida.
NOTICE: Elfrida Urban Boundary Expansion Application Public Hearing June 25, 2025
An Urban Boundary Expansion application, being an application to amend both the
Urban Hamilton Official Plan and Rural Hamilton Official Plan, has been submitted by the Elfrida Community Builders Group Inc., representing over 70% of the different land holdings in the Elfrida area.
The Elfrida lands are an “L shaped” grouping of lands that comprise an area of 1, 209 hectares in size. The subject lands are bounded by Upper Centennial Parkway, Mud
Street East, Second Road East, Hendershot Road, Golf Club Road, Trinity Church
Road and a Hydro Corridor. The location is shown on the map attached as Appendix 1.
A Concept Plan, submitted with the application, outlining intended land uses from a high
level perspective. The application proposes a variety of housing for 117,000 residents.
The applications were submitted to city planning staff on November 20, 2025, and deemed complete on March 18, 2025. The Planning Act requires a decision to be made by Council within 120 days of an application being deemed complete which started March 14, 2025 when all
materials were submitted.
City Council has been advised that the new Provincial Planning Statement was issued October 2024 and permits privately initiated urban boundary expansion applications to be submitted outside of a municipal comprehensive review and Bill 185 now permits a Council denial or non-decision of an application to be appealed to the Ontario Land Tribunal. NOTE: Council has approved a no urban boundary expansion growth strategy that is reflected in policy in the Urban Hamilton Official Plan.
The public hearing is likely to generate significant interest and speakers, presentations,
and correspondence. The urban boundary expansion application will also likely
generate significant discussion by Planning Committee members. Therefore, a Special
Planning Committee meeting will be held on June 25, 2025, followed by a Special
Council meeting directly after to ratify any Committee decision before the 120 day
deadline. The White Church urban boundary Official Plan Amendment application will
also be considered at the same meeting.
I am encouraging residents to write to the Planning Committee to provide their comments. Whether you support the application or oppose it, you have the right to be heard. All documentation received and delegations helps to inform the Planning Committee’s decision and Council’s subsequent ratification. You can email your written documents to clerk@hamilton.ca no later than 48 hours prior to the public hearing. All residents who have written to the Planning Committee or appeared as delegates for the June 25 Special Planning Committee Public Hearing reserve their rights to appeal the Council decision to the Ontario Lands Tribunal.
Ward 9 Crime Report December
Ontario Land Tribunal Allows 1065 Paramount Development to Proceed
The City has just received the OLT decision regarding 1065 Paramount. (see attached decision below).
The January 7 2025, decision permits the development to proceed with an eight-story apartment building with 191 units, and 123 stacked townhouse units with one level of underground parking and a total of 409 parking spaces.
The tribunal finds that “the Revised Proposal has regard to the applicable matters of provincial interest pursuant to s. 2 of the Act and is consistent with the Provincial Planning Statement 2024. It is located within a settlement area with transit service within convenient walking distance, and provides for intensification, higher densities, an efficient use of land and infrastructure, and a range and mix of housing types. Further, the Revised Proposal conforms to the UHOP, represents good land use planning and is in the public interest.”
Can an OLT Decision be Appealed ?
Ontario Land Tribunal decisions can be appealed through two possible options. A review can be requested of the Chair of the Ontario Lands Tribunal or through an application for a Judicial Review at the Ontario Divisional Court. An application for judicial review of an administrative decision (OLT) must be brought within thirty days of the decision being made, as set out in s. 5(1) of the Judicial Review Procedure Act.
In both cases, the application must provide any legal errors or a question of law, alleged to have been made by the decisionmaker. https://www.ontariocourts.ca/scj/files/pubs/guide-div-ct-judicial-review-EN.pdf
Councillor Brad Clark’s Comments
I am more than disappointed in this decision by the OLT. It is clear that the OLT is taking the recently revised provincial policy statement as aparmount in its decision. The revised policy has eliminated any opportunity for the city to successfully argue that the development is not within the character of the existing community. This change in provincial policy is specifically highlighted by the OLT in their decision to permit this development wherein the OLT stated, “the Revised Proposal has regard to the applicable matters of provincial interest pursuant to s. 2 of the Act and is consistent with the PPS 2024.”
I am equally disappointed that the Hamilton Wentworth District School Board chose not to participate in the hearing rather they indicated a willingness with the proponent to relocate the south pen to mitigate any impact from the loss of sunlight. The OLT wrote, “[54] Further, as a review agency, the School Board did not submit comments of concern to the City on the Applications, was notably absent from the merit hearing and did not seek Party or Participant status in the appeals. As discussed earlier, the School Board appears willing to consider the relocation of the south Pen. The Tribunal finds this to be a mitigating factor to any potential shadow impacts.
I am drafting a motion directing city staff to review the decision and provide any opportunities for the city to appeal this decision.
OLT Decision 1065 Paramount Development
Please click the download button below.
Happy Hanukkah to all Jewish Residents
Hanukkah, “festival of lights,” begins on the 25th day of the Hebrew month of Kislev and continues for eight days. Hanukkah begins the evening of Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024, and goes until the evening of Thursday, Jan. 2, 2024.
Hanukkah is described in the Jewish Talmud. According to Chabad.org, after the Jewish people reclaimed the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, “they sought to light the Temple’s Menorah (the seven-branched candelabrum), [but] found only a single cruse of olive oil had escaped contamination by the Greeks. Miraculously, they lit the menorah and the one-day supply of oil lasted for eight days, until new oil could be prepared under conditions of ritual purity.” (footnote: The Pioneer Woman and Chabad.org)
Brad Clark Report 
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