City of Hamilton staff updated Council at a May General Issues Committee meeting regarding progress on initiatives that are meant to support the development approvals process.
City staff participated in the Bloomberg Harvard Innovation Track Program in 2023/2024, which resulted in two ongoing pilot programs: the All4One Site Plan Process and the First Wave Application Portal.
The All4One Site Plan Process Pilot, launched in Fall 2024, is “a cross-departmental approach intended to accelerate the development approvals process and improve communication and collaboration between city approving groups and applicants.”
Currently, four development applications are progressing through the All4One Pilot.
The first three applications were processed in an average of 102 days from pre-assessment to clearance of conditions, which represents a 46 per cent reduction (123-day reduction) compared to previous standards.
The First Wave Application Portal Pilot involves using artificial intelligence (AI) to review low-density residential zoning compliance applications for conformity with the City of Hamilton’s zoning regulations.
Staff say that the tool “identified where designs may not conform with zoning rules and generated clear, easy-to-read reports for staff.”
The city is currently investigating a two-year pilot project to extend the usage of AI.
Staff are also participating in the 2025/2026 Bloomberg Implementation Accelerator Program and will be developing two new initiatives: a prototype for a Planning Application information website and a Minor Variance information brochure.
The new website will reportedly allow residents “to quickly access details about planning applications online, reducing the need to contact city staff and streamlining the current process.”
The Minor Variance information brochure is meant to provide clear, plain language information “to help residents better understand and navigate what can often be a complex application process.”
The West End Home Builders’ Association (WE HBA), which represents land development, new housing, and professional renovation industries in Hamilton, expressed support for the city’s initiatives, calling them “an effort by staff to confront long-standing challenges.”
However, Mike Collins-Williams, the Chief Executive Officer of WE HBA, says that the positive steps “must be viewed in the broader context of the city’s overall performance.”
“The most recent Altus Group benchmarking study released in 2025 placed Hamilton dead last among major Canadian municipalities in planning approval timelines,” he said.
“Hamilton takes nearly three times longer to issue approvals than average. With approvals taking roughly 31 months on average, the city is operating at a level that is fundamentally out of step with other municipalities.”
“The current system continues to be characterized by excessive documentation requirements, fragmented review processes, and prolonged timelines that add cost, uncertainty, and risk to housing delivery.”
WE HBA says that “incremental improvements will not be sufficient.”
The group calls for a comprehensive end-to-end review of Hamilton’s planning and approvals processes, with a “clear mandate” to eliminate redundant studies and submission requirements, standardize and scale successful pilot practices across departments, streamline internal coordination and decision-making, and improve accountability for timelines and outcomes.
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.
