The following email guide was created with our friends at Environmental Defense Canada:

It's Time for Clean Steel in Hamilton - Guide to Writing to City Council

On June 22nd a motion will be presented to Hamilton’s Board of Health requesting action related to ArcelorMittal Dofasco’s steel making facility. 

ArcelorMittal Dofasco’s (AMD) steel plant is Hamilton's largest private sector employer and has been a fixture in the community for over a century. However, the steel industry continues to rely heavily on coal for its production, making it one of Ontario’s largest sources of pollution and causing Hamilton to have some of the province’s worst air quality. This needs to change!

The City of Hamilton has the opportunity to support a motion that requests action from the province to stop any special permissions that allow the plant to emit BEYOND regulated air standards, as well as increase their monitoring of dangerous pollutants like benzene. 

Take Action! 

Step 1: Find your ward and determine whether your councillor sits on Hamilton’s Board of Health. 

If your councillor does not sit on the Board of Health, only include Hamilton’s City Clerk in your email (see below). If they do, include both your councillor and City Clerk in your email. 

Step 2: Open up your email, create a subject line (e.g. Please take action for cleaner air in Hamilton). Address the email to your councillor (ward#@hamilton.ca) and/or [email protected]

Step 3: Copy, paste and customize the text below into the body of your email

Dear Councillor [your councillor’s last name], or To the City Clerk's Office, 

My name is [your name], and I live in [your ward] or [your neighbourhood].

I’m a [tell them a bit about who you are…e.g. mother, teacher, part of a neighbourhood group or organization, how long you have lived in Hamilton, or any connection you might have made with your councillor].

I am concerned about ArcelorMittal Dofasco’s steel making facility continuing to burn coal in Hamilton because [explain why you’re concerned, what you experience, what you know, use the examples below for reference].

Some examples include…

• I frequently encounter black soot around my home which damages my property 

• I am concerned about my children growing up in an area with a higher likelihood of residents developing respiratory problems because of air quality

• AMD accepted $950-million in government aid to build a modern coal-free steelmaking operation by 2028 and AMD has not followed through on this

• Coal-based steel production makes up nearly 11% of global climate pollution and Canada has some of North America’s dirtiest steel plants. Hamilton should be moving away from this! 

• Electric steelmaking is cleaner, cheaper, and more flexible than using dirty coal. AMD must speed up – not slow down – their transitions to clean steel. 

Therefore, what we need is the Board of Health and the rest of City Council to

1. Affirm its opposition of further extensions or continued special permissions by the MECP for contaminants above above provincially regulated general air standards;
   

2. Request that the province reject ArcelorMittal Dofasco’s renewed Environmental Compliance Approval proposal (ERO 026-0039) unless the following conditions are included:

   1. Continuous and passive monitoring with real-time data posted on a publicly accessible website for benzene, sulfur dioxide, and particulate matter

   2. Fenceline monitoring for polyaromatic hydrocarbons, including benzo[a]pyrene, with results posted on a publicly accessible website 

   3. Quarterly reporting to the public at ArcelorMittal Dofasco’s Community Liaison Committee on planned construction, alterations, extensions or replacements at the facility as well as maintenance of equipment with specified maximum rates of production.

Will you support a motion that requests these items from the province? 

[Close the email thanking the councillor for their review and consideration, and include any other information you would like to share] 

Sincerely, 

[Your name, Postal Code and/or ward and/or address]

Final Steps:

When you’re happy with your message, hit send! Tell a friend or neighbour to write a letter by sharing this PDF with them! Make sure to send your email by 12 PM on June 21st. 

Councillors on Hamilton’s Board of Health: 

• Cameron Kroetsch (he/him)
  Email: [email protected]
  
  
• Nrinder Nann
  Email: [email protected]
  
  
• Tammy Hwang
  Email: [email protected]
  
  
• Mark Tadeson
  Email: [email protected]
  
  
• Craig Cassar
  Email: [email protected]
  
  
• Alex Wilson
  Email: [email protected]