Hamilton, Ont. voters dig into doughnuts and big questions ahead of federal election

CTV News spoke to customers at Grandad's Donuts in Hamilton, Ont., to hear what their priorities are for this federal election. (CTV News)

As part of CTV News' coverage of the 37-day federal election, journalists will be telling stories from communities across the country to showcase issues that matter to Canadians in this election. Our next dispatch is from CTV News reporter John Vennavally-Rao in Hamilton, Ont.

A city long defined by its steel mills and known as the “city of waterfalls,” Hamilton, Ont., is seeing American politics ripple through its election conversation locally. But that’s far from the only concern.

At Grandad’s Donuts, a beloved local shop that’s been serving up classic doughnuts for 17 years, customers have also been chewing on the promises of politicians.

Asked about their top priority, the answer is fairly unanimous. “Someone who will take on Trump,” says one customer. Another adds, “We need to make sure we stay Canada and not become the 51st state.”

U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs on steel and aluminum threaten to hurt the local economy, but they’re not the only thing on people’s minds.

“Taking care of the elderly,” said Debbie Lamparski, a retired teacher. “We need more homes, better care in hospitals as we age, and I’m aging, so I’m a little worried.”

Lamparski is also deeply concerned about homelessness. “We can’t keep building out on farmland,” she said. “We need to take the empty buildings in the city and restructure them somehow to offer affordable housing.”

Her thoughts are echoed by Les Hazelton, a retired welder-fitter who spent 25 years working in Hamilton’s industrial core.

“I’d like to see them do something permanent for the homeless,” he said.

Behind the counter, Grandad’s co-owner Samantha Whipps is juggling more than doughnut orders. She says inflation and tariff threats are creating real problems for small businesses like hers.

She says it’s been tougher to get doughnut boxes recently due to tariff issues and costing, and she’s determined to avoid raising her own prices.

“We don’t want this to just be a treat,” she said. “We want people to come every day.”

The stress is clear in the lives of her customers.

Leo Cordova works three jobs. Just to keep up with expenses, he works at a hospital, runs a car detailing business and drives for Uber.

“Everything is too expensive,” he says. “Canada’s one of the top expensive countries to live in. That’s why some people are going down to South and Central America.”

Cordova would like to see politicians find a way to raise wages.

Adam Kalavriziotis, a father of two, is also worried about the cost of living. He just renewed his mortgage. It’s a change that’s costing his family an extra $40 a week.

“Obviously with the cost of living going up, it’s a concern of mine,” Kalavriziotis said.

Like others, he’s also worried about what’s happening south of the border.

“We need to diversify what we’re doing and not depend so much on the States.”