HAGERSVILLE — The Hagersville Chamber of Commerce held a Ward 4 byelection candidate debate at the Hagersville Legion on March 27, 2025. In attendance were all four candidates: Brad Adams, Tony Dalimonte, Jesse Little, and Albert Marshall. Below are some highlights of the night.
Opening statements
Brad Adams said he envisions “winning together as a community, however, I will not sit here tonight and just tell you what you want to hear…. I’m going to speak through my heart.”
He pinpointed issues like irresponsible development, traffic, and rising crime, stating, “Somehow not in my backyard has become a controversial slogan, but I’ll say it loudly: I don’t want it, you don’t want it, and I’ll stand with you to prevent it.”
Tony Dalimonte suggested a need for a councillor who can skip the learning curve in the remaining 18 months of this term. He reviewed previous accomplishments as a councillor and vowed to advocate for responsible growth by working with developers that provide “actual affordable housing.”
He would like to facilitate regular meetings with the industrial sector to address traffic problems, while promising to advocate for a new Hagersville hockey arena.
Jesse Little called his candidacy a civic duty: “It’s the public’s duty to actively participate and engage with our community, including holding government to account to us, the people.”
He wants to improve several concerns with the current administration, such as “councillors participating in denying community services, staff being told not provide public service, and more.”
Albert Marshall leaned into his professional experience, stating, “One of the things I learned is how rare and special what we have in Haldimand is. Quite frankly it’s the responsibility of everyone in this room to make sure we keep it that way and make it a little bit better.”
He categorized many current politicians as having “lost their way,” citing bravery, fairness, and common sense as tools he would use in governance.
Traffic
Dalimonte said flow-through traffic is the biggest problem facing Hagersville, noting large industrial vehicles and tourist traffic. He called a bypass the “ultimate solution”, but acknowledged Haldimand is at the mercy of the Ministry of Transportation (MTO). He touted an existing path for consideration “just east of Hagersville,” which is “long known to be able to hold a four-lane road.”
Adams believes Haldimand may be limited by the MTO, but “that doesn’t mean we can’t act”. He called for a renewed look at a bypass’ feasibility. He claimed to have a “viable solution that I will put on the table if elected” to limit congestion while improving access to downtown businesses.
Little said traffic around Hagersville should have been addressed years ago, advocating for a permanent solution with input from the County, MTO, and Indigenous neighbours. He suggested looking at successful measures implemented by other municipalities for inspiration.
Marshall said the issue is representative of a problem that has a simple solution but is hampered by “decades of endless consultation.”
Recreation and tourism
Little spoke of ‘blue zone regions’ in the world known for “high life expectancies due to a high standard of living.” He wants to see Haldimand invest more in outdoor recreation like parks and trails, stating that with Haldimand’s natural resources “there is no reason we couldn’t be a blue zone community.”
Marshall advocated for the conversion of Hagersville’s private quarries into public spaces: “You can start just by opening up the fences and letting the trail be open to the public. We don’t want to feel like criminals when we’re walking around these lovely lakes.”
Adams advocated for continued investment in Haldimand’s many “well-used” facilities, with a focus on modernized spaces and improved accessibility. He also called for a more “walkable and bike-friendly” community, adding, “The more we engage in outdoor activity, the stronger our community becomes.”
Dalimonte noted the Active Living Centre + Library set to open this year, which he promoted as councillor, as an example of acting on constituents’ interests: “They’re looking for passive sports that don’t cost a lot of money, walking trails, baseball fields, outdoor exercise equipment,” said Dalimonte, pledging to push for a new trail and soccer fields, while hoping the County will “jump all over” any opportunity to utilize the Jukasa Motor Speedway lands.
Development and Growth
Marshall warned that growth should happen at a pace that “does not destroy what makes it special here from a local level,” adding that “too much growth too fast brings crime in addition to congestion.”
Adams said 99% of residents he’s spoken with feel growth in Hagersville is “out of control … (and) that way of life is slipping away.”
He wants to “aim for responsible, local development … on a smaller scale, a few homes at a time, done by our local tradespeople, keeping the money in our own communities – not massive subdivisions.”
Dalimonte said that development is driven by the Province, not the municipality: “Our community has grown and it’s going to continue to grow.” He said a councillor’s job is “not to fear monger, it’s to manage the growth and building amenities that are required; there’s no such thing as slowing down development.”
Little said growth, managed effectively, comes with many advantages like “increased tax revenue, the potential for better infrastructure, services, and provides the ability for affordable housing,” calling said growth a sign of a prospering community.
Housing
Adams said constituents have asked him how their children will ever afford a house, blaming outside investors for buying up housing to rent it out, again advocating for smaller growth driven by local businesses building “homes that local people can actually afford.”
Dalimonte said that “you have to get the co-operation of the developers” to build affordable housing, noting one Hagersville development expects some units in the $500,000 range, “probably the lowest number I’ve seen in terms of new housing.”
Little said the County had various tools to address affordable housing, including inclusionary zoning.
He pushed for expanded use of accessory dwelling units on existing properties as an “efficient use of space in an already designated area.”
While Marshall said the greater issues surrounding housing start at the federal level, such as “uncontrolled spending” and “mass immigration,” he believes “much can be done at the local level”, such as “building departments, zoning, and the committee of adjustment should bend over backwards to assist people to complete their projects as quickly as possible and as cheaply as possible.”
Other topics discussed at the debate included mental health and substance use, physician recruitment, and the economy.
