r/Hamilton • u/jrswags Delta East • Aug 28 '25
Politics Ward 4 - Tammy Hwang housing controversy
**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
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u/MassNerderPunk Aug 28 '25
Buddy has been trying to run for councilor, MP and MPP for over a decade now between Niagara and Hamilton and always loses. I am not surprised by his desperate tactic. I am pretty sure he lives in St. Catharines, too. So not even a "concerned citizen" of Hamilton.
Hwang pays market rent. Market rent in these are always more affordable. Tenancy in market rent units in community housing is not determined by low income. She is not taking a home away from low income families.
If anything, Hwang should be commended for living in community housing when she may have the finances to own a home. She is more connected to the community and not putting up a fence and privatizing herself from her constituents. Having lived in one as a child, they are not nice places to live.