Hamilton - The 2023 Canadian City Parks Report

We’ve switched to biennial data gathering for the city profiles — The data available here was collected in early 2022 and originally published in last year’s Canadian City Parks Report.

City Profile

Hamilton

2022

Ontario

Population: 569,353

Hamilton has the third highest number of community gardens relative to population size, or nearly twice the average, with over 11 community gardens per 100,000 people.
Hamilton is one of 57% of cities that has a seniors strategy that includes parks.
Hamilton is one of 33% of cities with a dogs in parks plan.

Hamilton is developing a Parks Master Plan, set to be complete in summer 2022. The plan will help the city to prioritize investment in future park spaces.
Hamilton’s Newlands Park will soon be home to a rock climbing structure and outdoor fitness equipment, encouraging children to engage in “risky play” and develop risk assessment skills.
Three parks in the city have free public wi-fi as part of a pilot project to improve internet connectivity. With a focus on equity-deserving communities, seven additional locations will be added by the end of 2022.

4.6

ha of parks & green space / 1000 people

Total parks and green space

Total hectares of parkland and green space that is publicly accessible and owned, leased, or under a management agreement by the municipality. This number should capture all parks and green spaces that are perceived/used by residents similarly to parkland.

Specifically, it should include:

Actively managed parkland
Natural parkland/areas
Other municipally owned, managed, or leased open spaces that are used as public green space

Excludes:

Golf courses
School yards, if owned/maintained by the municipality
Active (open) cemeteries
Sports stadia
Parking lots
Institutional and other publicly owned green space
Other parks/green spaces that are not owned, managed or leased by the municipality (e.g. privately owned public spaces)

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2,617 ha total

45%

of parkland is natural area

Natural parkland

A natural area is a green space which receives a relatively low level of maintenance and supports natural or naturalizing vegetation. Natural areas may be publicly accessible (e.g. via trail networks) or areas with limited/little public access.

Natural areas may include:

trails or walkways
washrooms
environmentally sensitive/protected areas
stormwater ponds/water bodies located within natural areas

Excludes:

parking lots
actively managed parkland

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1,168 ha total

55%

of parkland is actively managed

Actively managed parkland

Total hectares of parkland that is actively maintained by the municipality for community use. These parks often contain built and natural amenities such as: park furniture, planted trees/beds, sports fields, playgrounds, and mown grass.

Includes:

plazas and “grey” spaces used for public recreation, when maintained by the parks department
small ponds/water bodies located within actively managed park spaces

Excludes:

natural areas
hazard lands
school yards
active (open) cemeteries
golf courses
sports stadia
parking lots

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1,450 ha total

of total city land is parkland

112,800 ha of total city area

Dog parks

Off-leash dog areas

Includes both standalone dog parks and off-leash dog areas within parks.

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Community gardens/urban farms

Community gardens/urban farms are food-growing gardens available for the public to use that may require membership. This includes community orchards.

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288

Playgrounds

A playground refers to an area with purpose-built children’s playground equipment present, and may have just one single item of equipment or several items located together.

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Public washrooms

24 winterized public washrooms

Mixed

Parkland provision goal (distance to park / ha per 1000 people)

0.7 ha per 1000 people, and: Neighbourhood Parks - 800 m service radius Community Parks - 2 km service radius

Parkland Map

View Hamilton’s parkland map

$40

Parks operating expenditures / person

Operating expenditures (actuals)

Direct operating expenditures (not including revenues) for 2021 for maintaining parks and natural areas. This number will be used with your current year population to understand operating budget spent per person.

Includes:

planting and maintenance of trees in park/natural areas
graffiti & vandalism repair
management, administration & operational staff salaries
consultant/contractor costs
parks horticultural plantings
maintenance of closed cemeteries if carried out from the parks operating budget
parks litter pickup & waste disposal
inspection and maintenance of splash pads, playgrounds & outdoor fitness equipment
maintenance & replacement of park furniture
public toilets where maintained from parks budget
sports field maintenance
snow clearing and ice control for parks & natural areas
any other parks/green space maintenance costs except cemetery costs where the cemetery is "active"

Excludes: golf courses, swimming pools, indoor recreation facilities/halls, forestry, and zoos.

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$22,830,240 total

$7,907,784

Parks capital expenditures

Capital expenditures (actuals)

Capital expenditure for all capital items related to land improvement works completed during the 2021 financial year.

It includes:

Both new and renewal work
Capital items carried forward from previous years
Salaries and wages for all staff involved in the design, planning and delivery of capital projects.

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$10,000

Total philanthropy/sponsorships

Total amount donated to the city through philanthropic sources or corporate sponsorship in 2021 to fund park-based projects.

Excludes:

general revenue generated by the city (e.g. through user fees, park bench dedication programs, etc.)
provincial/federal government grants

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0.2

Volunteers / 1000 people

Volunteers

Includes only volunteers who have worked directly with the municipality (not external organizations). Programming refers to publicly accessible activities and events (e.g., yoga classes, nature walks, park cleanups, farmer's markets, festivals, celebrations, etc.). Programming does not include any large commercial activities, such as a private party.

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138 total park volunteers

Volunteer hour / 1000 people

828 total park volunteer hours