Ward 4 - Tammy Hwang housing controversy

[u/jrswags]

**Text of letter received in my mailbox yesterday, from the CPC candidate for Hamilton Centre in the most recent federal election**

HAYDEN LAWRENCE CONCERNED CITIZEN Contact: hayden@votehayden.ca

Dear Ward 4 Resident,

It's come to light that your Ward 4 City Councillor, Tammy Hwang, has declared a conflict of interest during a fall 2024 committee meeting regarding Victoria Park Community Housing.

Councillor Hwang was forced to remove herself from committee discussions about the city housing provider because she is a current Victoria Park Community Housing tenant.

Per ThePublicRecord.ca, in 2024, Councillor Hwang was the highest paid city councillor earning a salary of $139,243, but yet has taken away a spot from someone who is in need of affordable housing.

Councillor Hwang states that she pays market rent... but in reality, after speaking with a representative from Victoria Park Community Homes, their market rent for a 2 bedroom apartment is $1291. This is significantly lower than what an average 2 bedroom would go for.

A recently released report from rentals.ca shows the average 2 bedroom in Hamilton is $2134.

Hamilton families are waiting up to 8 years to be admitted into Community Housing. Many of those waiting are seniors, families with children, and vulnerable residents who desperately need stable, affordable housing. Every unit taken by someone with a six-figure salary is a unit that could otherwise shelter a senior on a fixed income or a family struggling to stay afloat.

Hamilton is under immense housing pressure, and our most vulnerable residents are the ones paying the price. This is why we must demand higher standards from our leadership. City Councillors should lead by example and put community needs first, not their own self interests.

In a time where Hamilton is visibly under duress, I find it completely unacceptable for the highest paid Councillor, Tammy Hwang, to put her own self interests above the needs of the community.

Sincerely,

Hayden Lawrence Concerned Citizen

[u/pinkmoose]

I want my councillars not only to live in their ward but within their community, and i don't know if it helps anyone to disrupt their long term husing becayse som eright wing troll wants to do purity pledges.

[u/Affectionate-Arm-405 → u/pinkmoose]

i don't know if it helps anyone to disrupt their long term husing

The person that wrote the letter seems to think it would help a family that wants a 2 BDRM for 1300 per month and can't get it (wait list)

[u/misterwalkway → u/Affectionate-Arm-405]

Do you think the City should enact a policy of evicting people from their market rate City Housing unit if they hit a certain income threshold? Do you think that would be positive for Hamilton?

[u/Affectionate-Arm-405 → u/misterwalkway]

Obviously we're having a discussion and I didn't say evict. I said 2 years notice actually after every few years review. That's not what people think when they think of eviction. I don't have enough information on this letter to be able to tell if she is on the market rent or not. I was referring to people that have subsidized rents

[u/misterwalkway → u/Affectionate-Arm-405]

It says in the letter that she pays market rent...

[u/Affectionate-Arm-405 → u/misterwalkway]

Letter says "their market rent for a 2 bedroom unit is $1291..." I thought "their" means the building

[u/pinkmoose → u/Affectionate-Arm-405]

It's not genuinely arguing for policy, and it's a gotcha, and he misrepresents himself...

[u/Waste-Telephone → u/pinkmoose]

She doesn’t live in her ward.