Soot has covered a Hamilton neighbourhood and the local councillor says the problem is getting worse

The steel mills in the Hamilton waterfront harbour are shown in Hamilton, Ont., on Tuesday, October 23, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

Residents of a Hamilton, Ont. neighbourhood are raising concerns about a buildup of soot that has long plagued the area but appears to have worsened in recent weeks, according to one city councillor.

Ward 4 Coun. Tammy Hwang says that the buildup of the black, powdery and sticky substance has blanketed parts of her ward, affecting homes, skin and outdoor surfaces.

Ward 4 encompasses much of the cities industrial sector with a mix of large residential neighbourhoods.

“My house is a cute little white bungalow, and it just looks perpetually gray,” said Hwang. “We have already received significant amounts of emails that have specifically said that they are worried about what is in the air, what they’re breathing in. That has affected their enjoyment of the outdoors, of their own backyard. They don’t know what is what this is…”

Hwang was elected to city council in 2022.

She says that while soot buildup has been a longtime concern of residents, it appears to have worsened in recent weeks.

“This most recent very thick, oily, greasy black sooty residue has been going on for a couple of weeks now. But the most significant was probably this past weekend,” she said.

It is currently unclear what caused the recent buildup of soot. However, Hwang said she believes it originated from one or more of the city’s large industrial sites in the north end, including steel manufacturing plants, chemical processing plants and other factories.

“At this point, we have several large industrial partners and organizations in the north end of Hamilton that have had their standards lapse,” she said. “Hamilton is a steelmaking city, we make things, we manufacture things. We have reports as far back as the 1940s and ’50s where people used to hang white clothes outside of their house just to show off how dirty the air was.”

“The whole city is still impacted”

Evan Ubene, a campaign co-ordinator with Environment Hamilton’s Clean Steel Campaign, a non-profit organization advocating for clean energy, said that while Hamilton’s Ward 4 has been most affected in recent weeks, “the whole city” is still impacted by pollution.

Ubene and Hwang both believe the problem has been made more noticeable by recent weather conditions but Ubene said the Ontario government’s response has been “lacking.”

“The Ontario Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks has workers willing to do the work, but the direction from the top is what’s severely lacking,” Ubene said.

On June 30, 2023, special pollution exemptions expired for Hamilton’s two major steelmakers, Stelco and ArcelorMittal Dofasco.

The temporary permits had allowed both plants to emit carcinogens far above provincial health limits.

While Ontario’s Ministry of the Environment allowed the exemptions to expire in an effort to move the industry to new sector-wide standards, regulatory delays mean both facilities continue to operate above base emission limits.

“There’s been no public recourse for how they can continue to improve their pollution. So that’s that’s been lacking for sure,” said Ubene.

“At this point, we have several large industrial partners and organizations in the north end of Hamilton that have had their standards lapse. So they’re currently kind of running… it’s a bit of the wild west right now,” said Hwang.

In a statement to CTV News, Gary Wheeler, a spokesperson for Ontario’s Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks, said the ministry is conducting testing on the substance and “continues to assess the operations of the various industrial facilities in Hamilton’s north end.”

“Ministry staff have attended impacted areas to conduct field observations, collect samples and follow up on reports received,” Wheeler said.

“The ministry has submitted samples for the laboratory; we will continue to evaluate all available information and will take appropriate action as warranted based on the findings of its assessment.”

Patricia Persico, a spokesperson for Stelco’s corporate parent, Cleveland-Cliffs, said the company is complying with provincial regulations.

“Stelco remains in full compliance with all regulations regarding the subject. Hamilton is an industrial area with several industrial sites, other than Stelco.”

Have you been impacted by the soot? Email us at [e-mail] with your name, general location, and phone number in case we want to follow up. Your comments may be used in a CTVNews.ca story.