Media Watch – Black Soot Incident
Nathan Bawaan from the Hamilton Spectator asks Rob Cooper a series of questions around if Rob has opinions on the Black Soot Incident.
By Nathan Bawaan
Published August 22, 2026
What do you make of July’s soot incident, and the subsequent responses from the province and Hamilton Public Health?
My first question is: why did this happen? Residents woke up to black particulate material covering their homes, vehicles and property. They deserve more than an assessment of what happened after the fact. We need to understand the root cause, determine what could have prevented it, and take action so residents aren’t dealing with the same situation again.
I’m encouraged that the Ministry identified Birla Carbon as the primary source and that Hamilton Public Health completed its assessment. But identifying the source is only part of the answer. We need to ask why Hamilton continues to experience incidents like this, what failed or could have been done differently, and what changes are necessary to prevent another occurrence. That means looking at monitoring, reporting, enforcement, communication with residents and the coordination between industry, the province, Public Health and the City.
There also needs to be accountability when residents suffer real financial damages through no fault of their own. People shouldn’t be left paying higher water bills or purchasing cleaning supplies to clean contamination from their homes, vehicles and property. I believe impacted residents should be compensated for reasonable damages and costs associated with this incident.
Going forward, I want Hamilton to move from simply responding to these incidents to preventing them. As Mayor, I would work with the province, Public Health and industry to determine the root causes, identify what Hamilton can do differently within its jurisdiction, and advocate for changes at the provincial level where necessary.
The objective should be straightforward: find out why it happened, fix the cause, hold the appropriate parties accountable and do everything we reasonably can to prevent it from happening again.
Question 8: Industrial emissions have long frustrated Hamilton residents, particularly those living in the lower city. Recognizing that the city doesn’t have jurisdiction over regulating pollution, what actions within the parameters of city hall would you take as mayor to address this long-running issue?
The province has primary responsibility for regulating industrial emissions, but I don’t accept that as a reason for City Hall to simply say this isn’t our responsibility. As Mayor, my responsibility would be to use every tool available to the City and to advocate directly to the province when Hamilton residents aren’t being adequately protected.
First, I want better information and greater transparency. Residents should be able to easily understand what is being emitted in their neighbourhoods, what the potential impacts are, and what action is being taken when there is an incident. We should examine whether our existing monitoring and reporting systems are giving residents the information they need and identify where improvements can be made.
Second, I want a much more coordinated approach between Hamilton Public Health, the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks, City Hall and our industrial partners. When something happens, residents shouldn’t be left wondering who is responsible or waiting for different levels of government to communicate with one another.
Third, the City should use the tools that are within our jurisdiction—including planning, infrastructure decisions, environmental assessments and community liaison processes—to protect residents and prevent problems wherever possible.
And when the solution requires provincial action, I will advocate directly to the province for it. Hamilton should not accept recurring environmental incidents as simply part of being an industrial city.
We need to continually ask: why are these incidents happening, what can we do differently, and how do we prevent them from happening again?
I don’t believe we have to choose between good jobs and clean air. Hamilton can have a strong industrial economy while expecting high environmental standards and protecting the health and quality of life of the people who live here.
