Hamilton Council approves a downtown pilot requiring landlords to keep one room in each rental unit at or below 26°C

What Council approved

Hamilton City Council has approved a pilot program for a new Adequate Temperature Bylaw in downtown Hamilton (Ward 2), according to a City of Hamilton media release published October 8, 2026. The City describes it as a first-of-its-kind initiative in Ontario, intended to protect renters from unsafe indoor temperatures during extreme heat.

What renters and landlords can expect

The City says it will give renters and landlords information and guidance before the pilot starts, and that an exemption process will be available where compliance is not feasible because of building or infrastructure limitations. Its webpage for the program says implementation details and contact information will be provided in spring 2027.

Staff Report PED26074 describes how the proposed by-law would work. Temperatures would be measured about 1.5 metres above the floor and at least one metre from a wall. Owners who say they cannot comply would apply to the Director of Licensing and By-law Services with a letter from a qualified professional explaining why; an exemption would last up to two years. The draft also sets out exceptions, including where a tenant has told the landlord in writing that they do not want an air conditioner installed or used in their unit. The report says the by-law, at this stage, would not apply to units owned by not-for-profit social housing providers or municipal housing corporations.

How it differs from today's rules

Hamilton's Property Standards By-law already requires that air conditioning a landlord provides be kept in good repair and be capable of keeping a unit at or below 26°C in summer, but it applies only where the landlord already supplies air conditioning. The City says the new by-law goes further by setting a maximum indoor temperature standard and requiring landlords to provide cooling to meet it, whether or not air conditioning is provided today, subject to exemptions.

The City says Ward 2 was chosen for its high concentration of rental housing and elevated heat vulnerability, noting that 2021 census data show nearly 80 per cent of residents there rent their homes. It cites Health Canada guidance recommending an indoor limit of 26°C for older adults during extreme heat.

Cost and what happens next

Report PED26074 estimated the pilot's administration and enforcement at about $1.04 million over 19 months, including four temporary municipal law enforcement officers and a by-law clerk, and recommended that the costs be considered in the 2027 budget process, with the by-law itself prepared after that budget. Staff are to report back after the pilot with recommendations on a possible city-wide program.