Hamilton Community Benefits Network

Yesterday, the Carpenters’ District Council of Ontario published a press release regarding Combatting Tax Fraud: Stop illegal worksites and protect workers. Click the link below to access the press release. https://www.newswire.ca//carpenters-union-call-to-combat-t

Check out our new updated website. Learn a little about Community Benefit Agreements, their history and the HCBN itself.

Karl Andrus Community Benefits Manager share's a passion for Community Benefit Agreements and Hamilton History. Watch them combine in this very high-quality production.

HCBN Member IBEW local 105 shares some great news.

Honour the amazing women working with HCBN and member the Hamilton Centre for Civic Inclusion. Happy #internationalwomensday2021

Check out this great event being hosted by Hamilton ACORN https://fb.me/e/1Zhtm3XmV

Some of the properties procured by Metrolinx for the Hamilton LRT project are scheduled for demolition. Please see the attached photo's for details.

Important virtual public meetings in October for Waterdown. I encourage everyone to attend~ Waterdown Secondary Plan Thursday October 15 7:008:30pm... https://t.co/ZzrCCuKjVQ Waterdown Transportation Management Plan Wednesday October 21 5:307:30pm https://t.co/zZBsiZ5KXb

Decent Work is at the core of Community Benefits conversation.

HCBN Member ACORN Hamilton is hosting a socially distanced Rally @ Hamilton City Hall.

Health providers released a ground-breaking report on the need to close the paid sick day gap across Canada. Over half of workers in Canada do not have paid sick days - with low-income, racialized, and women workers least likely to have this basic protection. The report from the Decent Work and Health Network makes the case for permanent, universal & seamlessly accessible paid sick days in every jurisdiction across Canada. To protect public health, health providers are callin...g for 7 permanent paid sick days and an additional 14 days during public health emergencies. You can join them in calling on our elected representatives to legislate paid sick days before it’s too late. Click here to send a letter to all Premiers and the Prime Minister now. Amid warnings of a fall peak in COVID-19 cases, workers and our communities cannot wait any longer for paid sick days. To protect public health, everyone needs to be able to stay home when they’re sick. Canada lags other countries in providing adequate paid sick days. The recently announced temporary federal paid sick leave program will help some workers, but it is not the paid sick day policy our communities need. Health providers are joining with education workers, parents and all workers in calling for effective paid sick days now for a safe return to school, and we in the future to protect against other contagions like the flu. - KA

The Hamilton Community Benefits Network is disappointed in the Ontario PC government's decision to cancel the Light Rail Transit project in Hamilton that would have created thousands of local jobs and better public transit for the city. We hope that the Ontario government lives up to its commitment, made soon after the provincial election, of guaranteeing $1 billion dollars for public transit in the city whether it was LRT or not. Such funding can be put to great use in impro...ving our public transit. At the HCBN we have been working for two and a half years on developing templates for Community Benefit Agreements for future projects across Hamilton. While the LRT/Metrolinx project was definitely the kickstart project we anticipated, today's announcement certainly does not preclude the need for community benefit agreements for new development in Hamilton. We look forward to continuing to work with City Council on our Community Benefits Protocol Sub-Committee to help create the parameters and guidelines that will inform future developers on the advantages to having community input into future building in the city. We strive to ensure that jobs and training opportunities are kept local and that when building in Hamilton will lead to profits, the community will have a say in directing how some of that build, and how some of those profits, can be used to help Hamiltonians. We say to future developers: if you want to build in our community, be prepared to be part of our community and being part of it means being ready to help with good jobs, fair wages, affordable housing, green builds, and working towards a sustainable future. Having connected over 50 community organizations across the city to help us do the work of outreach and input, we believe we are well prepared for whatever comes next in our growing city. One government is not going to change our determination for a more inclusive, commuity-driven approach to development in Hamilton. Anthony Marco Board Chair, Hamilton Community Benefits Network