A motion to cap the number of full-time city staff for 2026 was recently brought forward at Hamilton City Council and passed in a close 9-5 vote after significant debate.
The motion, which was brought forward by Councillor Mike Spadafora (Ward 14 – West Mountain) and seconded by Councillor Matt Francis (Ward 5 – Hamilton East-Stoney Creek) stated that the City of Hamilton “must take urgent steps to restore fiscal discipline and demonstrate responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars.”
Spadafora noted that the city has seen “significant year-over-year spending increases, including the addition of 746 Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) positions during this term of Council.”
That means that 746 new full-time positions have been added since October 2022 – a period of less than three years.
The motion added that the “continued expansion of the city’s workforce is unsustainable and adds to growing financial pressure on residents.”
The motion requested that Mayor Andrea Horwath include in the 2026 budget directive to staff that no additional FTE positions be added in the 2026 operating budget “and that existing FTEs be repurposed and reprioritized to align with and support Council’s 2026 strategic direction and priorities.”
The motion says that the cap would only apply to non-legislative positions and would thus exclude the Hamilton Police Service, firefighters, paramedics, and staff at the Macassa and Wentworth Lodge long-term care facilities.
Part of the debate centred around whether or not the city’s HSR transit workers should also be exempt from the staffing freeze.
Jackie Kennedy, the city’s Acting General Manager of Public Works, told Council that some expansion of the HSR in 2026 “would be at risk” if the motion passed.
However, Mike Zegarac, the city’s General Manager of Finance and Corporate Services, explained that the city currently has a staff vacancy rate between five and seven per cent.
The argument was made that if the city is able to operate with 400 to 560 vacancies at any given time then that is evidence that the city needs to be more “efficient.”
It should also be noted that under the motion the city would still be able to fill those vacancies, but would not be able to add to the number of full-time positions in the 2026 budget.
Councillor Brad Clark (Ward 9 – Upper Stoney Creek) also suggested that the city take advantage of a policy that allows full-time positions to be transferred from one department to another in order to help find efficiencies.
For example, under that policy, a vacancy in one department could instead potentially be used to hire an HSR employee.
Other Councillors also noted that the main staff expansion of the HSR will not occur until after the new bus barn is built, which will take until at least September 2026.
Spadafora also noted that the HSR strategy for next year has not been presented to Council so staff cannot say that HSR expansion will be impacted when the transit strategy has not even been approved.
“At the end of the day, we don’t have [an HSR] strategy presented, we don’t have a strategy approved, we have hundreds of vacancies across the city – let’s get real and do what’s right. Let’s bring our spending under control. We don’t need FTEs, we need to do a better job of being efficient with the FTEs that have been approved and some that have been sitting empty,” Spadafora said.
Councillor Maureen Wilson (Ward 1 – Chedoke-Cootes-Westdale) brought forward an amendment to have HSR workers exempt from the staffing freeze, but that was defeated by a 6-8 vote.
VOTING RESULTS
SPADAFORA’S MOTION FOR STAFF CAP
IN FAVOUR (9): Tammy Hwang (Ward 4 – Hamilton East), Matt Francis (Ward 5 – Hamilton East-Stoney Creek), Tom Jackson (Ward 6 – East Mountain), Esther Pauls (Ward 7 – Central Mountain), Brad Clark (Ward 9 – Upper Stoney Creek), Jeff Beattie (Ward 10 – Stoney Creek-Fruitland-Winona), Mark Tadeson (Ward 11 – Glanbrook-Binbrook-Mount Hope), Mike Spadafora (Ward 14 – West Mountain), Ted McMeekin (Ward 15 – East Flamborough-Waterdown)
AGAINST (5): Maureen Wilson (Ward 1 – Chedoke-Cootes-Westdale), Cameron Kroetsch (Ward 2 – Downtown Hamilton), Nrinder Nann (Ward 3 – East Hamilton Centre), Craig Cassar (Ward 12 – Ancaster-West Flamborough), Alex Wilson (Ward 13 – Dundas-Central Flamborough)
ABSENT (1): Mayor Andrea Horwath
VACANT (1): Formerly John-Paul Danko (Ward 8 – West/Central Mountain)
- WILSON’S AMENDMENT TO EXEMPT HSR
IN FAVOUR (6): Maureen Wilson (Ward 1 – Chedoke-Cootes-Westdale), Cameron Kroetsch (Ward 2 – Downtown Hamilton), Nrinder Nann (Ward 3 – East Hamilton Centre), Tammy Hwang (Ward 4 – Hamilton East), Craig Cassar (Ward 12 – Ancaster-West Flamborough), Alex Wilson (Ward 13 – Dundas-Central Flamborough)
AGAINST (8): Matt Francis (Ward 5 – Hamilton East-Stoney Creek), Tom Jackson (Ward 6 – East Mountain), Esther Pauls (Ward 7 – Central Mountain), Brad Clark (Ward 9 – Upper Stoney Creek), Jeff Beattie (Ward 10 – Stoney Creek-Fruitland-Winona), Mark Tadeson (Ward 11 – Glanbrook-Binbrook-Mount Hope), Mike Spadafora (Ward 14 – West Mountain), Ted McMeekin (Ward 15 – East Flamborough-Waterdown)
ABSENT (1): Mayor Andrea Horwath
VACANT (1): Formerly John-Paul Danko (Ward 8 – West/Central Mountain)
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.
