A one-year moratorium on AI data centres, a shelter system running at a third of the need, and an LRT finally under construction.
Core issues
What this election is actually about
Homelessness and housing
As of 2026 there are over 2,100 unhoused people in Hamilton and 632 beds. The average family waits over 130 days to leave the shelter system, and in 2025 only 11% of shelter users found adequate housing. Average rent is $1,430 a month, which needs about $27 an hour to carry. The city does not record deaths in the system; they are counted as outflow.
AI data centres
On 23 June 2026 council voted 15-1 for a one-year moratorium on AI data centre construction, after the Committee of Adjustment unanimously refused a land severance sought by Slate AI on a former Stelco site. Councillor Nann, who raised the motion, has sent it to over 20 councils across the country. The one councillor who opposed the moratorium is also the one who revealed council's NDA with Slate AI.
Jobs and public money
A 49-year airport partnership with TradePort, owned through Investcorp Corsair Infrastructure Partners. The LRT restarted with $1.7B federal and $1.7B provincial money. Canada's largest sugar refinery opened on Pier 15. Residents question locking into American-owned partnerships while running a Support Local campaign.
The incumbent
The record you are voting on
Andrea Horwath INCUMBENT
Running for Mayor of Hamilton · in office since 2022
Hamilton's first woman mayor, running a city the research says she was injected into rather than broke.
Emergency powers, no consultation Support Local, signed abroad Deaths not counted
Key votes and spending
Council decisions that shaped the issues above
| Decision | Result | Amount | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vacant Unit Tax, 1% on homes empty 183 days | Passed 9-6 | $8.35M raised in year one | |
| One-year moratorium on AI data centres | Passed 15-1 | — | |
| Slate AI land severance | Refused unanimously at Committee of Adjustment | — | |
| Outdoor shelter system | Built under emergency mayoral powers | $2.8M budgeted, about $5M over | |
| Housing pledge to 2031 | Committed | 47,000 units |
The other candidates
Drawn from published platforms and public statements
Sasha Austin
Running for Mayor of Hamilton
Proposes admitting unhoused people with substance use disorders or undiagnosed mental illness to treatment, voluntarily or involuntarily.
- AI data centres
- Unclear
- Environment
- Unclear
- Housing
- Involuntary admission
Side by side
Pick who you want next to each other
“Unclear” means we could not find a documented position, not that none exists.
| Issue | Andrea Horwath INC | Sasha Austin |
|---|---|---|
| AI data centres | Unclear | Unclear |
| Environment | Backed the data centre pause | Unclear |
| Housing | 47,000 units by 2031 | Involuntary admission |
| Land use | Unclear | Unclear |
| Policing | Unclear | Unclear |
| Public funds | Shelter overrun by $5M | Unclear |
| Transit | LRT restarted | Unclear |
| Transparency | Unclear | Unclear |
Documented position Opposes Unclear or partial
Money and donors
- Where the shelter money went
- The 2025 outdoor shelter system came in around $5M over its $2.8M budget, used made-in-China units at about $35,000 each, and was built on contaminated land with no public consultation. It houses up to 80 people.
- Provincial funding
- The Homelessness Prevention Program provides $27.9M for shelter management. In March 2026 the province ended funding for supervised harm reduction sites, closing them across Ontario.
- An NDA with a data centre firm
- Council holds a non-disclosure agreement with Slate AI. It was made public by the one councillor who then voted against the moratorium.
Local coverage
Reporting we drew on
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