Cameron Kroetsch

Cameron Kroetsch

@cameronkroetsch.bsky.social

Official account of Cameron Kroetsch's campaign for Ward 2 Councillor (Hamilton)

1.4K followers1.2K following447 posts

Voting is an important part of our democracy and engaging with every resident is important, including those who rent their homes - nearly 80%, or about 29,000 Ward 2 residents are tenants. Renters are too often overlooked because it’s harder to reach them. Every vote matters. #HamOnt

First door knock of the day! See you out there this weekend Ward 2! Thank you to everyone who has been offering up well wishes and support when you see us out. We appreciate it as we head into the final days of this election. 💕 #HamOnt

Lucia is a tireless advocate for the environment. Her focus on improving government policy, at all levels, is moving the needle on climate justice and her strong belief that we can have a more climate resilient downtown, for everyone, is an inspiration. I’m grateful for her kind words. #HamOnt

Door knocking in Corktown tonight and was reminded of some of the important safety issues that residents have advocated for on Wellington Street South. It’s now safer for cyclists, transit users, and drivers. Yes, there’s still more to do, but I’m grateful for the steps we took together. #HamOnt

Dr. Gary Warner is a champion for social justice and has been a dedicated leader in our community for decades. He’s also a Ward 2 resident and someone I’ve been able to work with closely. I look forward to continuing to serve this community and I’m honoured to have his endorsement. #HamOnt

Chris Ritsma is a passionate leader for safer streets, including as former Chair of the Cycling Advisory Committee. His advice has challenged me to rethink my perspectives and push for better solutions. Our downtown is safer for his tireless work and I’m proud to have his endorsement. #HamOnt

We made some new friends in Durand Park this evening, including Sharron who joined us before we headed out to knock on doors. One of the joys of this campaign has been continuing to meet and get to know Ward 2 residents one on one. If you see us out, please say hi. We’d love to connect. #HamOnt

Georgie cares deeply about our city and how our local environment is impacted. I value her support in my ongoing stand against an AI data centre in Hamilton. I stand by my principles, even when it’s difficult, and I’ll continue to do that if I’m reelected. #HamOnt

Really great questions from seniors this morning in the Central neighbourhood, especially about the impacts to school boards, cycling and mobility, and accessible streets and sidewalks. #HamOnt

Back out in Durand with leaders from the Somali community connecting with voters ahead of next Monday’s election. If you have a chance, between 9am and 4pm, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday, go to City Hall to cast your ballot to avoid the Election Day rush. Get out and vote Ward 2! #HamOnt

I first met Margie, as all who know her call her fondly, when we were both participating in railway cleanups in the North End. She’s one of the most generous people I know, with both her time and her expertise as a nurse. I’m so appreciative of her kind words and support of my candidacy. #HamOnt

This week we’ll be out in groups of every size, in every neighbourhood, connecting with Ward 2 residents. We’re in Corktown and Durand this morning. It’s not possible to catch everyone when they’re home, but we’ll get to as many doors as we can before Election Day next Monday. #HamOnt

If you’d like to see our team at your door before Election Day, send us an email at info@CameronForWard2.ca with your name and address and we’ll do our best to connect with you. See you out there Ward 2!

Happy Sunday Ward 2! We were out in the Durand neighbourhood today. As the most diverse and dense neighbourhood in our city, there’s a lot to unpack at the doors. Glad to meet so many of you and to answer your questions with facts and the experience I’ve gained in this job. It matters. #HamOnt

Out knocking on doors on what turned out to be a beautiful day. Great reception in Corktown and the North End this morning and afternoon. It’s clear so many of us want good things for our neighbourhoods and I can’t wait to represent Ward 2 at City Hall for another four years. #HamOnt #CatsForCameron

It’s been such a privilege to collaborate with Sabreina Dahab over this term of Council and during this election. We’ve created new playspace at SJAM, broken down barriers to nutrition, and helped make local government meaningful and relevant to students across Ward 2. Teamwork matters. #HamOnt

Graham Crawford has dedicated so much of his life to this city and has spent decades standing up for and protecting our collective rights. I deeply appreciate his endorsement. He tirelessly watches, listens, and holds Council accountable. Our city is better because of his advocacy. #HamOnt

Dr. Anjali Menezes has been an inspiration to me not only as a community leader but as someone who has stepped up to care for Hamiltonians as a family physician. I’m grateful for her endorsement as a fellow Ward 2 resident. #HamOnt

Thanks to everyone who organized the all candidates meeting last night to discuss climate change and its local impacts. We must continue to push back against a Province that clearly sees Hamilton as its personal pollution playground. I’ll be there to stand up and fight back. #HamOnt

Great energy at today’s rally at the Hamilton General Hospital in support of the more than 400 health care workers Doug Ford axed. I’m always encouraged when I see Hamiltonians standing up for our city and I’m glad I could make it out to show my support. Solidarity matters. #HamOnt

The heart of our city is made up of the people who live, work, and lead in our communities. I’m so grateful for the endorsements of these wonderful Hamiltonians and I can’t wait to continue to work with every member of our community to make our downtown better, together. #HamOnt

Had some great conversations door knocking in the Central neighbourhood today. Folks care deeply about their communities and it was really encouraging to hear that from so many of the people I spoke with. I remain incredibly proud to represent this community. And those fall colours! #HamOnt

In my closing remarks at the debate, I outlined the challenges ahead. Over the next four years, Hamilton will need a strong voice at the table willing to speak up, hold people accountable, and do the job with compassion, care, and dedication. #HamOnt

I am not afraid to speak up and to be honest even when it’s difficult. In politics, there’s no way to make everyone happy on every issue - but I’m committed to continuing to engage, listen, and be realistic and honest with residents about what I can, and can’t, do in this job.

And make no mistake, representing your community at Council is a job. It’s not a talking point, a social media post, or an off the cuff hot take. It requires an understanding of not only the issues, but how to get policy in place to make change. Let's do this together, for the heart of our city.

The City needs to better coordinate to support those forced to live on our streets. When homelessness reached an all time high during the pandemic, the Province stepped up to provide funding to everyone who needed it. As soon as it was over, they walked away. They need to get back to work. #HamOnt

Cities can’t fund health care alone. That hasn’t stopped me from trying to find solutions, which is why I tabled funding a coordinated mental health response last year, like other cities have, to fill the gaps in service everyone is seeing. We need a fourth major service in our city.

Police, fire fighters, and paramedics can’t do it all and expecting them to is unrealistic. Cities need a dedicated team who can help fill the gaps and coordinate the 61 not for profit programs trying to help. Without better coordination, we can neither help those who need it most nor reduce costs.

Pier 8 is prime waterfront land and we own it. Letting it sit unused while our development partner waits for better market conditions isn’t the right thing to do. Building is happening downtown. This project needs to move forward. It’s why I tabled a motion to explore other options.

That’s the job and I put in the work to do it right and to represent the concerns residents raised when the developer didn’t stick to the building timeline they promised. But the Ward 2 Councillor only gets one vote and the majority on Council decided to wait on the housing market to improve.

Hamilton desperately needs more housing, and a climate resilient waterfront for all to access and enjoy. We don’t need luxury condos. I think Council made the wrong decision, which is why I’ll be tabling this matter again when there’s a new Council in place. We must do better.

Another great evening knocking on doors in Durand. Sabreina and I also checked out the last Art Crawl of the season picked up some handmade local treasures. We’ll be out and about all weekend so please say hi if you see us! #HamOnt #CatsForCameron

During this past term on Hamilton’s police board I pushed for accountability and transparency. As a result, there’s now a fairer budget process including open line by line documents and public meetings. For the first time, we were able to have informed conversations about the police budget. #HamOnt

Even the Province saw the value I brought to the board when they reappointed me last year after a failed attempt by the Mayor, former Chair, and former Vice Chair to have me permanently thrown off for asking the tough questions Hamiltonians have been asking for decades. I didn’t back down.

We need elected officials who will challenge the status quo, especially for the largest part of annual tax increases. A staggering $1 billion dollars was given to police in this term of Council. Every member of Council should come to the budget with hard questions, not pom poms and a blank cheque.

We’re now the first city in Canada to take this important step. A Ward 2 pilot will start next summer to protect up to 15,000 tenants from the impacts of extreme heat. I understand the concerns fellow tenants have raised about this pilot and I’ll work, next term, to improve and expand it. #HamOnt

Nearly 80% of Ward 2 residents are tenants. In this term I’ve supported legislation to stop renovictions, expanded funding for tenant supports, started a safe apartments program, and built a tenant council. There’s much more to do in the next term and I’ll ensure tenant issues remain a priority.

When local businesses have asked for help with rising costs, due to tariffs, inflation, or other pressures, I’ve stepped up and put motions on the table. I’ve reduced fees for temporary patios and ensured the City continued to pay for recycling when the Province changed the rules. #HamOnt

In this term, I also helped to establish a new BIA for Hess Village and I’m looking forward to helping businesses in other parts of our downtown to get better organized, however they think is best, so we can improve things, and work across our community, together, to help Hamilton thrive.

Councillors can’t do it all. Every government official and elected representative has a role to play, but I’ve done my part to step up when I see an opportunity to help. I’ve led on these issues, Province wide, and I’ll continue to work with other cities on best practices and bring them to Hamilton.

Honoured to be endorsed by the Hamilton and District Labour Council. As a former union President, I take this endorsement seriously. If I'm reelected, I'll keep showing up for workers across our city, on the picket lines, and at the Council table. #HamOnt

In this term of Council, I moved, and successfully enacted, important changes to the Fair Wage Policy to level the playing field for unionized workers. In the coming term, I'll be focused on improving our procurement process, and standards, to make things even better. It matters.

Keeping housing affordable has has been a major priority for me during this term of Council. Repairing nearly 600 units of housing at CityHousing Hamilton, at an average cost of $12k a unit, brought our vacancy rate from 10% to the industry standard nearly 2%. Results matter. #HamOnt

As an individual Councillor I also provided nearly $1 million in funding to repair and maintain CityHousing Hamilton buildings. We have a long way to go, but I’m doing my part to prioritize these buildings with the authority and funding available to me.

The thing I hear most often from Ward 2 voters is that they’re worried about rising rents and lower maintenance standards. We must continue to push back on the Province to hold landlords accountable at the Landlord and Tenant Board. Tenants deserve better and, as a tenant myself, I’ll keep fighting.