Council approved the plan for 40 tiny shelters in September 2024. Photo Credit: Hamilton Tiny Shelters.
The City of Hamilton is completing preliminary work and revealing further details about Council’s new tiny shelter plan in the North End.
Council approved the plan for 40 tiny shelters in September 2024 after receiving a report from staff that recommended a site on a city-owned lot located at Barton Street West and Tiffany Street, near Bayfront Park and the West Harbour GO Station.
The report came after Hamilton Mayor Andrea Horwath used her strong mayor powers in August 2024 to immediately direct staff to undertake research needed to open a city-sanctioned tiny shelter site before the winter months.
It is now known, as The Hamilton Spectator first reported, that the City of Hamilton has chosen a company called MicroShelters Inc. to supply the cabin-like structures that will make up the site.
MicroShelters Inc. is certified as an Indigenous business by the Canadian Council for Indigenous Business.
It is founded by Jeff Cooper, who’s LinkedIn account identifies him as being from Ohsweken, Ontario within the Six Nations of the Grand River and Denis Fourcaudot from Burlington, Ontario.
Cooper worked for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) for 34 years, most recently as a Superintendent for their Federal Operations Support Services which assesses terrorism and organized crime threats.
However, The Spectator also reports that MicroShelters Inc. is sourcing the shelters from the United States.
The company is also declining to answer questions about how much they are getting paid, instead differing to the City of Hamilton.
Additionally, in terms of operation of the tiny shelter site, the City of Hamilton is working on an agreement with Good Shepherd Services.
In another recent development regarding the project, local residents organized an information meeting on Monday, Oct. 21, to share their concerns and ask questions about the project.
Some residents argued that there was no consultation about the plan and are opposed to the site’s location.
Organizers invited Horwath and Councillors Maureen Wilson (Ward 1 – Chedoke-Cootes-Westdale) and Cameron Kroetsch (Ward 2 Downtown Hamilton), but all three declined to attend, saying that details are not finalized so it would be difficult for them to answer questions.
Hamilton Police Services (HPS) representatives were in attendance and answered some questions instead.
The City of Hamilton has also acknowledged that they are taking steps to mitigate any possible contamination at the tiny shelter site since it was formerly industrial land.
The city says that they are working with a “contracted external environmental assessment experts to review available information to establish risk management measures to identify and limit any potential risks.”
The city also says that they are “committed to clear, measurable outcomes” for the tiny shelter site.
“This pilot will be regularly evaluated, with key performance indicators such as housing stability for residents, the effectiveness of on-site services, and overall community impact.”
“We will share these results and outcomes through reports to City Council, which will be posted on the city website.”
The city is also accepting written feedback on the project through their website. The feedback form can be found here.
It is expected that the site will open in December.
Based in Hamilton, he reaches hundreds of thousands of people monthly on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. He has been published in The Hamilton Spectator, Stoney Creek News, and Bay Observer. He has also been a segment host with Cable 14 Hamilton. In 2017, he received the Chancellor Full Tuition Scholarship from the University of Ottawa (BA, 2022). He has also received the Governor General’s Academic Medal. He formerly worked in a non-partisan role on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.
