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Not the full picture. Built from public records, which leave things out.Older reportDetailsThis is built from public records, which leave a lot out, and some of it may be wrong or out of date. Check the sources, and tell us if you spot a mistake. What this site can't tell you
An older report. We have no 2024 report for Hamilton in the Province's latest release, so these pages use its 2022 report. It may simply be filed late.
Read by hand. We read Hamilton's own documents for this site in October 2026; the Sources page lists which ones. The comparisons with other places still come from the Province's yearly reports.

Council

Who decides, and how you can hold them to account

Hamilton is run by an elected council of 15 people. They set the budget, approve big purchases and hire the senior staff who run the city day to day.

Current council

Names and official email addresses from the city's council page. None of the members lists a public social media account there.

How open is Hamilton?

What a resident can find online without asking, as of October 3, 2026.

  • Yes
    Council and committee video

    Meetings are live-streamed and also posted on the city's YouTube channel, which the city links from its council and committee page. Source

  • Partly
    Agendas, minutes and staff reports

    They are in the eScribe portal. Every document download from it returned an access-denied page ("verifying your browser") to our automated reader, so we relied on the city's own news releases and web pages for what reports said, and did not open any minutes or staff report. We did not try to get around the block. Source

  • Yes
    Budgets posted online

    The adopted 2026 and approved 2025 budget books are posted as PDFs, and each year since 2018 has its own page. Source

  • No
    Audited financial statements

    The city's Financial Results page still lists 2022 as the newest year. The 2026 budget book says the 2024 statements were not complete and that 2023 and 2024 are being rebuilt after the cyber incident. Source

  • Partly
    Provincial Financial Information Return

    The site's automatic pages use the 2022 return, the newest year the Province's open data held for Hamilton when this site was last updated, so the city is marked as a late filer. The cause the city gives for late accounts is the February 2024 cyber incident. Source

  • Unknown
    Council pay and expenses (s. 284 statement)

    We did not find the yearly statement of each member's pay and expenses on hamilton.ca, and it may sit in a council report we could not open. The city's open data on council expenses (selected accounts only, not salary) holds the years 2019 to 2023 and nothing later. Source

  • Yes
    Auditor General reports

    Every report from 2021 to 2026 is listed. Some "serious matters" reports are marked confidential under the Municipal Act; summaries of several audits are released publicly. Source

  • Unknown
    Integrity Commissioner reports

    The commissioner's page describes the role and how to complain but lists no reports. They may be in the council portal. Source

  • Partly
    Council seats

    The city's Ward 10 page shows the seat as "Vacant" (page changed October 2, 2026). We did not find the reason or a plan to fill it before the October 26, 2026 election. Source

Where the city speaks for itself

Hamilton's official channels, as linked from its own website. Council members may also post on their own pages; we link only to official municipal channels.

Ask for the records

Anyone can ask the city for its records under Ontario's Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA). You do not have to say why. Here is how it works, and the wording for the records that would answer the questions on this site.

  1. Send the request in writing to the city clerk (the freedom of information coordinator), on the city’s form or in a letter, with the $5 application fee.
  2. Describe the records, not the answer you want. Dates, departments and the kind of record (a list, invoices, emails) make a request quicker and cheaper.
  3. The city has 45 business days to answer (the law changed in 2026; older guides say 30 days). It can charge for search time and copies, but must send an estimate first if the fees will be over $25.
  4. Some parts can be held back, such as legal advice or personal information about other people. The city must say which part of the law it relied on.
  5. If you are refused, or the fees seem too high, you can appeal to the Information and Privacy Commissioner within 30 business days of the city’s decision.

The city's request form (on its Forms page) · The law · Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario

  • Full cost of the 2024 cyber incident and rebuild

    The city has published $18.3 million, $47.7 million, $50 million and a $65,290 (thousand) capital line without a single reconciliation. Related question: What has the February 2024 cyberattack cost Hamilton, who is paying, and why do the published totals differ?.

    Show the request wordingHide the wording
    I request, under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act: Please provide the most recent summary of all costs of the February 2024 cybersecurity incident and the Build Better rebuild: amounts spent to date and forecast, by year, split between response and recovery, replacement of lost systems and new improvements, and by funding source (reserves, debt, levy, insurance). Please include the table behind report CM24005(b) and any later update.

  • The denied cyber insurance claim

    The city says the insurer denied the claim and that an outside legal review confirmed the denial, but the reasons are not in the public documents we could open. Related question: What has the February 2024 cyberattack cost Hamilton, who is paying, and why do the published totals differ?.

    Show the request wordingHide the wording
    I request, under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act: Please provide the insurer's written decision on the City's cyber insurance claim for the February 2024 incident, the policy conditions the insurer relied on, and the non-privileged parts of the third-party review of that decision.

  • Timeline for the 2023 and 2024 audited statements

    The city says the statements are delayed but gives no date. Related question: Why are Hamilton's audited financial statements for 2023 and 2024 still not out?.

    Show the request wordingHide the wording
    I request, under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act: Please provide any work plan, schedule or correspondence between the City, its external auditor and the Province that sets dates for completing the 2023, 2024 and 2025 audited consolidated financial statements and Financial Information Returns.

  • Total cost of the Barton-Tiffany temporary shelter

    The Auditor General reported costly modifications but we found no dollar figure. Related question: What did the temporary Barton-Tiffany shelter cost, and why did the Auditor General say urgency overrode due diligence?.

    Show the request wordingHide the wording
    I request, under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act: Please provide the total amount paid for the Barton-Tiffany temporary shelter site, by contract and year, including purchase, delivery, modifications to meet Ontario standards, site works and operating costs to date.

  • Status of lease arrears and the 35 audit recommendations

    The city said it would report to council on progress, and the report is in the council portal we could not open. Related question: Why was about $1.2 million in rent owed to the city unlikely to be collected, and have the 35 fixes been made?.

    Show the request wordingHide the wording
    I request, under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act: Please provide the most recent status report on the 35 recommendations of the 2024 Corporate Real Estate Leases and Licensing Audit (AUD24005), and the current total of lease and licence arrears and amounts written off since September 2024.

The wording is a starting point, not legal advice. Narrow the dates if the city says a request is too broad or too costly.

How to raise a concern

From the gentlest step to the most serious. Start at the top.

  1. Auditor General

    An independent office appointed under the Municipal Act that audits the city, investigates reports to its Fraud and Waste Hotline and reports to the Audit, Finance and Administration Committee. Its reports (2021 to 2026) are listed on the city's page; the documents themselves sit in the council portal, which blocked our automated reader. The city issues a news release for most reports, which this pack uses.

  2. Integrity Commissioner

    Investigates complaints that a member of council broke the Code of Conduct (By-law 16-290). The city names the law firm Boghosian+Allen LLP as the contact and as Lobbyist Registrar (By-law 23-190). Complaints cannot be received between August 21 and October 26, 2026 (the election period). We did not find the commissioner's reports on hamilton.ca, so this pack reports none of the commissioner's findings.

  3. Lobbyist Registry

    Lobbyists must register before they speak to a public office holder (By-law 14-244). The registry is searchable on the city's site; we did not search it.

  4. Fraud and Waste Hotline

    A confidential, anonymous way for staff, contractors and the public to report suspected wrongdoing to the Auditor General. Made permanent by council in March 2023.

  5. Ontario Ombudsman

    The office of last resort for complaints about how the city runs its meetings and procedures, linked from the city's Integrity Commissioner page. We did not look for Ombudsman reports about Hamilton.

  6. Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario

    The city says it notified the Commissioner of the February 2024 cyber incident and that the Commissioner "is already investigating". We did not find an outcome.