Damage was estimated at $500,000, leading Hamilton residents to question how a one-storey park washroom is worth so much money, especially because some of the structure remains intact. Photo Credit: Global News.
On Jan. 2, a large fire broke out at a washroom facility in Hamilton’s Woodlands Park.
What would follow was a somewhat shocking revelation that the fire had caused “approximately $500,000” in damages and further news from city staff that an assessment of what to do next would take four months and involve hiring an outside consultant.
Furthermore, the Hamilton Fire Department says that the fire started “in an encampment area adjacent to the washroom structure” which has also led to questions about why the city allowed an encampment to exist so close to the structure in the first place.
Indeed, according to the city’s Encampment Protocol, which was passed in August 2023: “No temporary shelter or tent will be placed against, or under, or be attached or tied to any building or permanent structure. All shelters or tents must be freestanding.”
A report from The Hamilton Spectator states that “an encampment had been built up around the southwest corner of the washroom facility for months” and that a trespass order had been issued and expired on Oct. 8, 2023.
It remains unclear why the Encampment Protocol was not enforced for a period of almost three months after the trespass order’s expiry.
The facility, located at 501 Barton Street East near the Barton and Wentworth intersection, sustained heavy damage and even required the fire department to call in additional resources from other parts of the city.
While further details are unclear, the fire department said in a statement afterwards that “the fire started on the exterior of the structure and extended into the roof area.”
The statement also included that damage was estimated at $500,000, leading Hamilton residents to question how a one-storey park washroom is worth so much money, especially because some of the structure remains intact.
Hamilton councillors and residents alike then found out from city staff last week that an assessment on how to proceed with potential repairs would take until May to be completed.
This is because the city typically hires an outside engineer to conduct the assessment, further escalating costs and delaying any potential return of service.
While the city’s general manager of public works has said that an outside engineer must be hired because a specialist is required to do the job, Councillors were still left baffled.
Paired with the news of how the fire started and the estimated cost of the damages, Hamilton residents are left with a lot of questions that the city seems unable to answer.
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.
