Andrea Horwath

I remember when Horwath was NDP and talked non-stop about helping working families. Now she's mayor of Hamilton and people are sleeping outside downtown while rents are completely out of control. What happened? I can barely afford groceries and rent at the same time. This is not the leadership anyone was promised. Really disappointing.

Spent years as opposition leader talking about affordability and working people. Now as mayor of Hamilton, residents are still waiting. Rents have shot up, homelessness is visible on every street, and the city seems paralyzed on housing. People moved to Hamilton because it was affordable — that's not true anymore. I expected more from someone who spent so long criticizing the government on these exact issues. Disappointing.

Andrea Horwath led the Ontario NDP for thirteen years, challenging Doug Ford three times before stepping down after the 2022 provincial election. She moved directly to municipal politics, winning the Hamilton mayoralty in October 2022. The transition from provincial opposition leader to city hall is uncommon, and it has produced an administration shaped by her deep familiarity with public institutions, intergovernmental negotiation, and community organizing. Hamilton's LRT is the defining infrastructure question of her tenure. The project was famously cancelled by the Ford government in 2019, revived after years of sustained advocacy, and is now back on track — though timelines and costs remain subject to provincial decisions that Horwath has limited direct control over. Her relationships across both provincial and federal levels of government have been genuine assets in navigating the project's complex politics. This is a file she understands personally, having fought for it from the opposition benches. On homelessness and housing, Hamilton has been hit hard by the affordability crisis. Encampments along the rail trail generated significant community tension during her first term, and her response — service-first, harm-reduction oriented — reflects consistent values even when it draws criticism from residents who want faster enforcement. What distinguishes her as mayor is accessibility and sustained engagement. The challenge is converting that engagement into visible outcomes on housing, transit, and economic development at a pace that Hamilton's residents can feel. Reviewed as a Hamiltonian who watched this city fight for its LRT for years — and who expects a mayor who knows how to fight for this community to see it across the finish line.