Province is prepared to force sale of vacant Sir John A. Macdonald property in Hamilton: Lecce

The province is prepared to force the Hamilton public school board to sell the vacant Sir John A. Macdonald Secondary School site if it continues "hoarding" it, says the education minister.

At an unrelated news conference in the city on Thursday, Minister Stephen Lecce was asked about the sprawling property that's been sitting empty in the middle of central Hamilton for five years despite an affordable housing crisis. 

"If the school boards aren't going to end the territorialism and the land hoarding, frankly, the government now has powers to act," Lecce said.

Lecce said the Ford government recently passed a regulation amendment that allows the province force a sale if a school board doesn't plan on using a vacant property within 10 years. However, he would prefer if Hamilton Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB) sell the land themselves so the province doesn't have to "go in with a blunt instrument" to make it happen. 

Under the regulation, the property would be offered to other local boards. If they decline to buy it, the property would then be offered to Infrastructure Ontario for a long-term care home or affordable housing project. If the province declines, too, then it would be listed on the private market for anyone to buy, including the city. 

"The board will need to explain why they've held on to the asset for all of these years," Lecce said. "All I can say is we've share the frustration with the public." 

Funding denied by province for new school, community hub

In response to Lecce's remarks, HWDSB trustee Dawn Danko said the site is a "strategic asset" the board doesn't believe it should be forced to sell.

"The closed site is in a critical location – one with an ever-increasing population," Danko wrote in an emailed statement.  "It is HWDSB's objective to use this site in the future."

The future of the former high school has been in flux since before HWDSB closed it in 2019.

School board trustees had agreed in 2017 to close two nearby elementary schools and build a new school and community hub at the site. Since then, the Ministry of Education has denied funding for the project four times. 

In her statement on Thursday, Danko noted the board's proposals have included child care spaces, which there's currently a shortage of in Hamilton. 

The site has also been considered for temporary housing through the Hamilton Alliance for Tiny Shelters. The HWDSB rejected that idea last summer, saying it was looking into demolition options. 

Hamilton politicians have pushed to restore the existing building and use it for affordable housing.

Hamilton Centre MPP Sarah Jama, Ward 2 Coun. Cameron Kroetsch and trustee Sabreina Dahab released a joint letter last July calling on the province to work with HWDSB to ensure it's not sold to a developer and turned into expensive condos or added to the entertainment district.

On Thursday, Kroetsch posted to social media that he's tried "everything" in his power to have the building reused as soon as possible, but it's ultimately owned by HWDSB. 

"If the minister is willing to act, then he should act," the councillor said.

The board told CBC Hamilton last July that it spends about $135,000 a year to maintain the Sir John A. Macdonald property. 

"Please note that despite claims made, there is no plan to sell the land to support the expansion of the entertainment district," the HWDSB said in a statement at the time. 

"There is clear board direction and plans for a future elementary school on this land."