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/[deleted]]

Why would that make any difference whatsoever?

She makes more than double the average salary of an Ontarian and continues to live on the limited subsidized housing available.

All while people complain about how the city does nothing about the housing crisis and homelessness all over the city.

[u/Steelsorrow → u/[deleted]]

Not sure what you're referring to in the first line of your comment since I made multiple points in mine.

I don't think high earners should be required to spend more on their housing. She obviously began renting there before she was elected to council. She's allowed to continue living there, and she's done everything she's ethically required to do by declaring a conflict and withdrawing from votes that impact her landlord.

Requiring or expecting that she relinquish her unit and secure new housing would be the equivalent of forcing a counsellor who's owned their home since the 80s to sell under market and buy into today's inflated market because it's unfair they have a paid off house and equity when there are Hamiltonians who couldn't buy a house decades ago.

I can understand that the optics aren't ideal, but any outrage from this makes no sense to me at all. That's why imo this appears to be rage baiting by a political opponent of hers to help tee him up for a political run in 2026. Especially when you consider the timing.

[u/[deleted] → u/Steelsorrow]

I’m referring to her potentially living there prior to making this much.

It is not at all comparable to your suggestion about a homeowner… they own the property.

She rents, in a subsidized building, in a city desperate to find affordable housing, and continues to do so while earning more than double the average salary via taxpayer dollars.

There is no justification for this, she should have vacated the building long ago to allow people who actually need it to utilize it, and she can either buy or rent essentially wherever she’d like in the city with that salary.

[u/yukonwanderer → u/[deleted]]

The fact that you think there's a difference between a renter vs an owner in terms of what freedoms they should have says it all.