HAMILTON — City council approved a Ward 2 rental-cooling pilot Wednesday, October 7, bringing a summer indoor-temperature requirement closer to implementation after years of debate.

CHCH reports that landlords will have to keep at least part of a rental unit at no more than 26°C, around the clock, from May 15 to September 15. Compliance is due by June 1, 2027.

The Public Record’s council liveblog recorded a 12–3 vote for the Ward 2 pilot. A separate proposal to apply the requirement across Hamilton was defeated 5–10.

According to CHCH, landlords may meet the requirement through building retrofits or air-conditioning equipment. The broadcaster reported an operating cost of just over $1 million, with allocations in the 2027 and 2028 budgets left for the next council.

ACORN representatives welcomed the decision as a first step while calling for wider protection. Ward 2 Coun. Cameron Kroetsch told CHCH that proposed amendments sought citywide coverage and protection outside fixed summer dates, but did not pass.

The city’s earlier consultation traces the initiative to council direction in May 2023. Its background page identifies rising heat exposure and the feasibility of landlord-provided cooling as reasons for examining a maximum-temperature rule.

Sources: CHCH, updated October 7 at 8:16 p.m. Eastern; The Public Record council liveblog; City of Hamilton consultation background.

Hamilton City Hall, September 2008 file photo: Nhl4hamilton / Wikimedia Commons, public domain. Not a photograph of the October 7 meeting.