Province scuttles housing agreement involving City of Hamilton, Mohawk College

A three-party agreement involving the city, the province and Mohawk College, has been scuttled by Ontario’s new Conservative government.

The deal, announced by the former Liberal government, involved the province selling 12 hectares of former psychiatric hospital lands on the mountain brow to Mohawk College.

The province was then to use the proceeds, estimated at $9.5 million, to build affordable housing as part of a tower development at a city-owned property on York Boulevard.

Jason Thorne, general manager of economic development, says Doug Ford’s PC government has informed the city that it “will not proceed as originally outlined.”

Thorne believes it was an “interesting and creative” agreement designed to address the needs of all stakeholders.

He’s hopeful that another “exciting” arrangement can be reached, noting that he believes it is still the province’s intention to sell the brow lands.

The college’s plan, if it still able to purchase the former hospital lands, has involved restoration of the historic Century Manor and expansion of the Fennell Avenue Campus.

“I don’t think I’ve been this steamed” in eight years representing the downtown core, says Ward 2 Coun. Jason Farr.

Farr says essentially one-third of the new housing units that the city was going to bring to bear in the next few years has disappeared and that’s “very discouraging.”