No Longer Stuck In Park: Shifting Gears for Broughton East Park

At the inception of the Broughton East neighbourhood in the late 1980s, a 9.5-acre parcel of land southwest of Grayrocks Avenue and east of Ashridge Place was designated as a future Hamilton Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB) site. From then to 2014, when it was apparent the land would not be used for its intended purpose – and before HWDSB declared it as surplus – community volunteers, the Ward 6 Office, and the City of Hamilton collaborated to fundraise for park amenities. Although transitioning to a park was unofficial, it was done in good faith between the City and HWDSB. In 2014, the City was unable to buy the land from HWDSB since the Ontario Education Act gave purchasing priority to the Conseil Scolaire Catholique MonAvenir of the French Catholic School Board (FCSB). Undeterred, the political action and hard work of the community – including a petition with over 400 names – resulted in negotiations between the City and the FCSB with the aim of finding an alternate FCBS site to preserve Broughton East Park (BEP). In the fall of 2023, the City entered a tri-party agreement with the FCSB and a land developer in Ancaster that would see a land swap for a future FCSB school in Ancaster, leaving BEP to be City-owned. This has been an 11-year journey for which my office has fought to protect your open space area and park amenities from becoming a 3-storey school with a massive parking lot and a regular presence of school busses. My office, in conjunction with your volunteer BEP Citizens Committee (co-chaired by Josie Cosco and Dianne Brunetti) fought to preserve the green space for generations to come. Last term, I convinced Council to purchase the alternate 14-acre site at 700 Garner Road in Ancaster. On June 4, 2024, then-former Minister of Education, Stephen Lecce, approved the land swap between the City and the FCSB.Since then, however, the City has been caught in the middle of a legal matter between the Ancaster developer and the FCSB involving the Garner Road site. Recently, I hosted a meeting at City Hall with all parties to resolve outstanding matters. Meanwhile, I wish to assure beyond any doubt that BEP will be owned by you – the taxpayer and residents of Broughton – someday soon. Between my Ward 6 financial reserves and the City’s Parks Department, $500,000 has been earmarked for BEP revitalization including the replacement of the nearly 30-year-old amenities with modern equipment.