Hamilton city council has met for the last time before the Oct. 22 municipal election.
While all members face challengers on the campaign trail and uncertainty beyond that date, Aidan Johnson, Matthew Green and Robert Pasuta are not seeking re-election and have said their goodbyes.
Green plans to run federally next year for the NDP, but for now, has been named interim executive director of the Hamilton Centre for Civic Inclusion.
The Ward 3 councillor has urged colleagues to become “even more bold” in making decisions about the future.
Pasuta retires from politics after representing rural Flamborough for the past 12 years. He says he “tried to get the respect for the rural people and agriculture out there and feel I’ve accomplished most of that.”
Johnson is leaving to take charge of the Niagara Community Legal Clinic in St. Catharines. He affectionately compared council to the muppets in his farewell address because “we’re a crazy gang.”
In terms of final decision items, council has ratified a plan to ban leaf and yard waste from green bins, effective April 1, until filters are installed and the city’s central composting facility resumes operations.
Final approval has also been given to a zip line at the Binbrook Conservation Area, despite opposition from some environmentalists and a close 4-3 vote at planning committee last Tuesday.
City council also ratified a new requirement that restaurant drive-thrus provide garbage bins that are accessible from a customer’s vehicle in order to reduce litter.
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