
- With 17 community gardens per 100,000 people, Hamilton has the third highest number of community gardens per population.
- Hamilton is one of about a quarter of cities that offer a formal park volunteer program, a grant program, and a policy to waive permit fees for groups showing financial need.
- Hamilton is one of 56% of cities with a seniors strategy that includes parks.
- John Rebecca Park, opened in 2019, is built on a converted downtown parking lot, and was partly funded through a $1 million donation.
- In 2020, Hamilton received Bee City designation for its commitment to supporting pollinators.
- Hamilton’s Summer Supie program which provides free drop-in activities for kids in parks celebrated its 110 year anniversary in 2019.
4.7
ha parkland per 1000 people
2717 ha of total parkland
46%
of total parkland is natural area
1240 total ha
37%
of parkland is environmentally significant/protected
1010 total ha¹
2%
of total city land is parkland
112775 ha of total city area
14
Dog parks
100
Community gardens/urban farms
2.1
Parkland provision goal (ha per 1000 people)
0.6
Volunteers per 1000 people
350 total²
39
Community park groups
Yes
Policy to waive permit fees for groups with financial need?
Community park group program
Community grant program
$38
Parks operating budget per person
$22,083,870 total
$8,376,000
Total parks capital budget
$154,000
Total philanthropy/sponsorships
Yes
Provincially legislated tools available for parkland development
Community Benefits Charge³
¹Includes ESAs in parks that are maintained, but not owned, by the city. ²Includes volunteers engaged in maintenance/stewardship only. Decrease from 2019 due to program review/administration clean-up. ³This tool was introduced in 2019 and is still under review. Previous Provincial legislation allowed 5% of development site or cash-in-lieu.
Hamilton related stories



Don't See your City on the List?
Twenty-seven cities participated in this year's report and we hope more will join us next year.
Learn how to participate in 2021