With Jason Thorne’s departure, Steve Robichaud is currently listed as the City of Hamilton’s Acting General Manager of Planning and Development. Photo Credit: City of Hamilton/X.
Hamilton’s General Manager of Planning and Economic Development, Jason Thorne, who had served in the position for almost ten years, recently announced that he would be leaving the job for the private sector.
Thorne informed the public of the move on March 12, with a statement on X (formerly Twitter).
Thorne said: “It’s a day of very mixed emotions for me. Today I announced that I am going to be leaving the City of Hamilton to take on an exciting new role. Thank you, Hamilton, for letting me be part of the city’s amazing renaissance over the past 10 years.”
He proceeded to thank his fellow staff, Hamilton Mayor Andrea Horwath, and City Council.
Thorne concluded: “And one last thanks to all the builders, business owners, artists, activists, developers, restaurateurs, architects, environmentalists, advocates, planners, organizers, crazy-idea-generators and (now I can say it) rule-breakers for making Hamilton such an amazing place.”
It remains unclear who Thorne is referring to with the “rule-breakers” comment.
Two City Councillors, Maureen Wilson (Ward 1 – Chedoke-Cootes-Westdale) and Nrinder Nann (Ward 3 – East Hamilton Centre), were quick to express their best wishes to Thorne via social media.
Wilson called Thorne “incredibly smart and immensely talented,” while Nann expressed that it is “hard to accept” that Thorne is moving on from the city.
A few weeks later, Stantec, a sustainable design and engineering consulting company that is involved in projects worldwide, announced in a press release that Thorne had joined their firm’s “Urban Places practice.”
Thorne works out of Stantec’s Toronto office.
Stantec says that their Urban Places Team is “an interdisciplinary hub bringing together leaders in planning and urban design, mobility, resilience and sustainability, mixed-use development, real estate advisory, and smart cities.”
“The team works in cities and suburbs across North America to unlock new economic, social, and environmental value through enhanced livability, equity, and resilience.”
The group has reportedly delivered “hundreds of successful projects globally,” including on the Scajaquada Corridor Vision and Mobility Plan in Buffalo, New York, a plan for Stephen Avenue in Calgary, Alberta, and the re-envisioning of an entertainment district in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
With Thorne’s departure, Steve Robichaud is currently listed as the City of Hamilton’s Acting General Manager of Planning and Development.
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.
