Guide
Fifteen wards, the Mayor and strong mayor powers, when Council meets, how to speak to it, and the 2026 election.
Hamilton City Council is the Mayor and one councillor for each of the City's 15 wards, all elected by residents for a four-year term. Since July 1, 2023 the Mayor has had strong mayor powers under the Municipal Act, 2001, and Council meets on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month. The next municipal election is on Monday, October 26, 2026.
The Mayor and Councillors are elected by the residents of the City for a four-year term. Councillors represent each of the 15 City wards.
Council is the Mayor and the City Councillors. The Mayor and Councillors are elected by the residents of the City for a four-year term, and the Councillors represent each of the City's 15 wards, one councillor per ward.
Use the City's Find my Ward interactive map: type your address into the search bar to find the ward you live in or own property in. The map opens in a new window from the City's election pages.
The City's City Councillors page lists the councillor for each of the 15 wards, with a page for each ward that gives the councillor's contact details. If you are not sure who your councillor is, the Find My Councillor map on that page finds your ward from your address.
The City's councillors page currently lists the Ward 10 seat as Vacant.
Call the Mayor's Office at 905-546-4200 or write to the Office of the Mayor, 71 Main Street West, 2nd floor, Hamilton, Ontario L8P 4Y5. Event invitations must be made in writing at least two months in advance, and certificate requests at least two weeks before the date needed.
Effective July 1, 2023, the Province extended strong mayor powers to Hamilton. Under Part VI.1 of the Municipal Act, 2001, the Mayor may appoint and dismiss the City Manager and various senior managers; create committees of Council and appoint their chairs and vice chairs; propose the City's budget; bring forward matters, or veto by-laws, tied to a prescribed provincial priority; and direct City staff in writing.
The Mayor may choose to delegate the powers to appoint senior staff and to create committees and appoint their chairs.
Yes, by a two-thirds vote. If the Mayor vetoes a by-law, Council may override the veto if two-thirds of Members vote in favour. For the budget, the Mayor must propose it by February 1; Council then has 30 days to pass amendments, the Mayor may veto an amendment, and Council may override that veto with a two-thirds majority, after which the budget is deemed adopted.
A by-law the Mayor proposes on a prescribed provincial priority is considered passed if more than one third of Members of Council vote in favour.
The Mayor must exercise these powers in writing and make them public, subject to the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. The City lists each mayoral decision and directive, with its date, number and subject, on its Mayoral Decisions page, and you can subscribe to Mayoral Decisions e-updates.
City Council meets on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month. The meeting calendar shows when each committee meets, links to the agenda, and notes cancelled meetings. Council and committees may go into a closed session for matters such as personnel, property purchases and litigation; the public and media are asked to leave for that part.
If a closed session runs longer than 30 minutes, Council or the committee waits up to 5 minutes before carrying on, so the public and media have time to return.
Agendas, minutes and video for Council and its committees are published in eSCRIBE. The standing committees are Audit, Finance and Administration; Emergency and Community Services; General Issues; Planning; and Public Works, plus the Board of Health. Council meeting video is added the next business day; committee video is added the same day, about an hour after the meeting ends.
Yes. Most public meetings held in Council Chambers and Room 264 are streamed live, and meetings are also streamed on the City's YouTube channel. The stream starts a few minutes before the meeting and runs 30 to 40 seconds behind the room. Meetings held in other locations are not streamed.
Standing committees meet in a hybrid format, so you can delegate in person or virtually through Webex, and every delegation must pre-register and last no longer than 5 minutes. For an item on the agenda, submit the Request to Speak form by 12 noon the business day before the meeting (by 12 noon Friday for a Monday meeting). For a matter not on the agenda, submit it at least 14 days before the meeting.
Delegations about labour relations, the conduct of staff, or matters before another body are not placed on a committee agenda. Meetings are video-recorded and the recordings are published.
For a committee, email clerk@hamilton.ca or mail the committee's Legislative Coordinator at 71 Main Street West, 1st Floor, Hamilton L8P 4Y5; comments must arrive by noon the day before the meeting. For Council, written submissions are due by noon on the Friday before the meeting for the published agenda, or by noon on the Tuesday before for the addendum, emailed to clerk@hamilton.ca.
Pre-recorded and oral or virtual submissions are not permitted at Council meetings themselves.
Requests to speak to Council are forwarded to the relevant committee and placed on a committee agenda for consideration. If the committee considers and approves the request, you are told the date of your presentation.
Election Day is Monday, October 26, 2026. Advance polls run October 3, 4, 10, 11, 17 and 18, and Ballot on Demand at City Hall, open to voters of all wards, runs October 13 to 16 and 19 to 23. The new term of office begins November 15, 2026.
City of Hamilton
City Council MembersCity of Hamilton
Find my WardCity of Hamilton
City CouncillorsCity of Hamilton
Submit a RequestCity of Hamilton
Mayoral DecisionsCity of Hamilton
Meetings, Agendas & VideoCity of Hamilton
Request to Speak to a Committee of CouncilCity of Hamilton
Municipal Election