SAFETY

Safety you can see. Leadership you can measure.

Every Hamiltonian deserves to feel safe using the parks, trails, recreation facilities and public spaces that belong to all of us.

For parents, that means knowing their children have a safe route to school. For seniors, it means accessible sidewalks and crossings. For families, it means being able to enjoy a park without encountering dangerous debris.

And when something makes a public space unsafe, residents deserve to know who is responsible, when it will be fixed and whether City Hall delivered.

That's why, as part of the Safety pillar of my SMART Plan, I will introduce Safe Public Spaces Hamilton a city-wide approach that sets clear safety standards, establishes firm response times for hazards and holds City Hall publicly accountable for delivering results.

Here’s what Safe Public Spaces Hamilton looks like in practice:

✓ ONE SAFETY STANDARD ACROSS HAMILTON

Every City-owned park, plaza, trail, recreation property, parking facility and civic space will be assessed against a consistent Public Space Safety Standard.

Assessments will examine lighting and nighttime visibility, sightlines and concealed areas, entrances and exits, accessible pathways and emergency access, washroom conditions, graffiti and vandalism, hazardous debris, signage and recurring safety concerns.

Priority improvements will be based on risk, documented conditions and community use not political preference.

Locations will be regularly inspected, corrective plans will have deadlines, and results will be publicly reported.

✓ CLEAR RESPONSE TIMES WHEN SOMETHING IS UNSAFE

Residents should not have to wonder how long a known safety hazard will remain unresolved.

Safe Public Spaces Hamilton will establish clear, risk-based response standards, including:

• Immediate danger or exposed electrical hazards: secure immediately.
• Needles, broken glass or hazardous debris: same-day response.
• Critical lighting outages: inspect within 24 hours.
• Hate-motivated or threatening graffiti: remove or cover within 24 hours.
• Damaged fencing, gates or barriers: secure within 24 hours.
• Routine vandalism or graffiti: address within 72 hours.
• Vegetation obstructing sightlines: correct within five business days.

Residents shouldn't have to figure out which City department is responsible for fixing a problem. Concerns will be tracked through one accountable safety-response framework, with performance and resolution rates reported publicly. One problem. One point of accountability.

✓ SAFER ROUTES TO SCHOOLS, PARKS AND COMMUNITY FACILITIES

Safety cannot begin at the entrance to a school or end at the edge of a park.

Hamilton will create a Safe Routes to Public Places approach that looks at the entire journey residents take between their homes, schools, transit, parks, recreation facilities and other community destinations.

That means identifying and addressing gaps in lighting, sidewalks, crossings and intersections, school-zone signage, traffic calming, pedestrian visibility, accessibility, sightlines, directional signage and winter maintenance.

For children heading back to school, this is particularly important. We should be looking at the whole route a child travels — not simply the few metres immediately in front of the school.

Every child should be able to walk, cycle or travel to school and community activities safely.

✓ TEST NEW SAFETY TOOLS WHERE THE EVIDENCE SUPPORTS THEM

Safe Public Spaces Hamilton will also pilot clearly marked public safety communication beacons in high-use or isolated public spaces where a safety assessment demonstrates a need.

The pilot will provide direct communication with an appropriate response centre, precise location identification, high-visibility lighting and accessible controls, with integration into nearby camera systems where lawful and appropriate.

This technology won't simply be rolled out everywhere. The pilot will be evaluated based on usage, response times, effectiveness and cost before any decision is made about expansion.

That's responsible government — test what works, measure the results and respect taxpayer dollars.

✓ A CITY HALL ACCOUNTABLE FOR RESULTS

Hamilton already has people and programs working to keep public spaces safe. But residents can still encounter different departments, reporting channels and response standards depending on where a problem occurs.

My approach is straightforward: set the standard, respond according to risk, track the problem until it is resolved and tell residents whether City Hall delivered.

Because public safety is about more than policing. It's about whether a parent feels confident letting their child walk to school. Whether a senior can safely reach a recreation centre. Whether families feel comfortable spending time in their local park. And whether residents know their City will respond when something isn't right.

This is how I believe City Hall should work: set clear standards, respond when residents need help, measure whether we're getting results and be accountable when we don't.

As Mayor, that's the standard I'll set across City Hall.