Councillor Ferguson is seeking to extend a sewer pipe to a rural business in violation of provincial rules and the city’s own official plan.

Amended provincial rules allow councillors to increase city revenues without raising property taxes, but opposition is likely from powerful interests.

This is a regular CATCH summary of votes at committee and council meetings. This report covers the month of November 2015.

Enbridge’s proposed construction of 35 kilometres of new oil pipeline across Hamilton is now before the National Energy Board but the review process is uncertain and the status of the Board itself is clouded by legal challenges, accusations of bias, and promised reform by the new federal government.

The city will ask Queen’s Park to remove at least three blocks of agricultural land from the protected Greenbelt, but the request is being opposed by the mayor and four of his council colleagues.

Recent growth in Hamilton continues to be overwhelmingly on greenfields and the older urban areas are actually losing population.

As expected, city staff are recommending removing fruitbelt lands from the protected Greenbelt, but their report going to councillors next week also has a string of surprises and contradictions.

This is a regular CATCH summary of votes at committee and council meetings. This report covers the month of October 2015.

Labour is joining aboriginal, faith, student, hiking, community and environmental groups for the 3 pm Sunday November 29 climate rally at city hall as news of off-the-charts global heating is confirmed by scientists.

“Hamilton offers one of the richest suites of financial incentives in Canada” proclaims a brochure being distributed by the city’s economic development department that goes on to detail seventeen corporate subsidy programs.

The Enbridge plan to build 35 kilometres of new pipeline inside Hamilton should be examined in light of the city’s commitments on climate change and indigenous rights councillors were told last week.

This is a regular CATCH summary of votes at committee and council meetings. This report covers the month of September 2015.

City staff say they will keep trying to get stormwater fees that were rejected by council for the third time this month by an 8-7 margin.

The issue of what the city should do about a changing climate came before councillors on October 19 – the same day voters removed one of the most climate-unfriendly national governments in the world.

The Conservation Authority is purchasing lands for a major east escarpment park at the same time that the city has floated the idea of removing these same areas from the protected Greenbelt and opening them up to residential and industrial development.

Large parking lot owners may finally be forced to contribute to stormwater management costs.

This is a regular CATCH summary of votes at committee and council meetings. This report covers the month of August 2015.

A city-endorsed private company appears to be racking up substantial profits from homeowners worried about water and sewer problems.

Self-driving cars were the focus of a conference this month on The Future of the Car, but a sharply different view questions the wisdom and viability of this technological path.

Thanks to pressure from Environment Hamilton, urban residents will get a belated chance to counter city plans to shrink the protected agricultural Greenbelt.