The City of Hamilton has lost yet another top staffer, as long-time Director of Planning and Chief Planner Steve Robichaud officially departed for a new job with the City of Burlington.
Robichaud, who lives in Burlington, departed his City of Hamilton job on Sept. 1 and began work at the City of Burlington as the Commissioner of Development and Growth Management on Sept. 2.
He has been Hamilton’s Chief Planner since 2012 and also served as Interim General Manager of Planning and Economic Development from March 2024 to June 2025 after Jason Thorne left the city.
Robichaud also had previous planning roles with the City of Stoney Creek and the City of Hamilton, equating to about 30 years of experience.
As Director of Planning and Chief Planner in Hamilton, Robichaud was responsible for development planning, heritage and urban design, sustainable communities, and zoning and committee of adjustment requests.
His departure comes at a crucial time, as the city struggles with housing affordability and key development appeals are before the Ontario Land Tribunal for residential expansion in Elfrida and the White Church area.
Neither application is within the city’s current urban boundary, but both involve “whitebelt” lands that are undeveloped; unlike the Greenbelt, these lands are not environmentally protected.
Hamilton City Council voted against an expansion of the urban boundary. When provincial changes allowed individual urban boundary expansion applications to be brought forward, Council voted against both individual applications as well.
The City of Burlington position became available after Curt Benson, who previously filled the role, was named the city’s new Chief Administrative Officer (CAO).
The city’s previous CAO was named as a chief conservation executive for Ontario’s Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks on Aug. 4.
CITY OF HAMILTON STAFF SHAKE-UP
Meanwhile, Robichaud’s departure means that the City of Hamilton continues to lose senior staffers.
The City of Hamilton’s Senior Leadership Team, which is overseen by City Manager Marnie Cluckie and includes eight city staff in total, has seen the departure of three individuals as of late.
In March 2024, the city’s General Manager of Planning and Economic Development, Jason Thorne, announced his resignation and left for a private sector position.
Thorne has since been hired as the City of Toronto’s Chief Planner.
The City of Hamilton announced Arvin Prasad, the former Commissioner of Development Services at the City of Markham, as Thorne’s replacement 15 months later in June 2025.
At the end of April, the city also announced that Carlyle Khan, the General Manager of Public Works, and Angie Burden, the General Manager of Community Services, were “no longer employed” by the city.
It appears that the decision was made by City Manager Marnie Cluckie and released only through an internal memo.
In another loss, Maureen Cosyn Heath, the city’s Transit Director, left in May 2025 for a role with the City of Mississauga.
Despite their departures, both Cosyn Heath and Robichaud remain listed on the City of Hamilton’s website.
Both of their positions remain unfilled, as does the General Manager of Public Works position.
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.
