Soot Issues Cause Concerns in Hamilton Neighborhoods

People living in and around Hamilton’s Crown Point area are noticing their homes, yards, kids, and pets covered in soot this week.

This has been a long-standing worry for those near the city’s industrial zone, but Ward 4 councillor Tammy Hwang’s office mentioned that this time feels different. Around two dozen residents have contacted them with complaints about the soot, including some from the southern part of the lower city who are facing this problem for the first time.

In a statement to CBC Hamilton on Wednesday, Hwang remarked that’s an “unusually high” number.

“Residents are saying it’s been like this for about two months but it has gotten worse just in the last week,” she stated. “We’re hearing from folks all across Ward 4; from those close to the industrial north to those living near the escarpment.”

One worried resident, Chelsie Wylie, told CBC she’s seeing more soot around her home on Cannon Street E. near Kenilworth Avenue N., than she has in her seven years of living in Hamilton.

Kids’ feet turned black

“It’s really bad,” Wylie shared on Wednesday. “You can smell it in the air.”

On Tuesday, her son came back inside just two minutes after going outside to play soccer.

“He’s like, ‘Mom, look.’ Black all the way up to his knees,” Wylie recalled. She noted that unlike typical dust, soot sticks to skin and needs soap to wash off. 

Despite regular cleaning efforts, she mentioned grime has been accumulating on her windows and patio furniture.

“I’m just over it,” Wylie expressed. “Imagine what’s sitting in our lungs.”

Grime has been building up along Chelsie Wylie’s windows and on her lawn furniture, the east-Hamilton resident says. (Submitted by Chelsie Wylie)

Hwang said other residents have reported similar issues.

“When you run your finger across your patio furniture, it looks like charcoal crayon residue,” she explained. “A resident who walked barefoot on their deck left footprints when they came back inside. We’ve received so many photos of kids with dirty hands and feet from this black residue. They’re saying they’re tired of scrubbing everything every day.”

Residents also want answers about what this soot is made of, where it’s coming from and how it affects their health, Hwang added.

She mentioned wanting those answers as well; noting that back in March 2025 she pushed for a motion to investigate the soot situation. Her office had organized a town hall meeting regarding it during wintertime.

The exact source of this week’s soot remains unclear.

Gary Wheeler, a representative from Ontario’s Ministry of the Environment stated that reports of “black particulate fallout” were received at their Spills Action Centre concerning Hamilton “and they are looking into areas where complaints came from to do field observations and collect samples when possible.”

Around 2 p. m. Thursday he reported that they still hadn’t determined what caused the fallout or identified what kind of material it was.

The ministry advises residents with concerns can:
Reach out to its Hamilton area office at 905-521-7650 during regular business hours.
Call the 24-hour Spills Action Centre line at 1-866-663-8477.
Report pollution online.

Stelco claims full compliance

Evan Ubene from Environment Hamilton’s clean steel campaign observed what he described as an unusually large emissions plume he believes came from a Stelco smokestack on July 4 and 5 and alerted provincial authorities about it.

CBC Hamilton reached out to Stelco regarding whether recent soot issues could be tied to their operations but did not receive a straightforward response.

Patricia Persisco representing Stelco’s parent company Cleveland-Cliffs stated simply that Stelco “remains in full compliance with all regulations regarding the subject.”

Additinally she pointed out that “Hamilton is an industrial area with several other industrial sites apart from Stelco.”

CBC also contacted Arcelor Mittal Dofasco nearby asking if its steelmaking activities could be related to these recent soot issues but did not receive any reply before publication date.

Evan Ubene of Environment Hamilton says he photographed emissions from a smokestack in Hamilton’s industrial area while across town at the Sydenham Road lookout on the afternoon of July 4. Normally he states that emissions plume is much less visible.(Submitted by Evan Ubene)

Ubene noted Environment Hamilton is receiving more complaints about soot than usual too yet hasn’t heard back regarding his report submitted earlier to Ontario’s Ministry of Environment

Additonally he revealed Environment Hamilton collaborates with researchers at Mc Master University aiming towards sampling dust fall within lower city regions discovering more information about such occurrences

Both Ward 3 councillor Nrinder Nann along with Hamilton Centre MPP Robin Lennox informed CBC they’ve also been getting complaints directing residents towards reporting pollution incidents directly towards Ministry officials

Nann included offering locals contacting her office participation opportunities within future community consultations focused upon public health addressing experiences surrounding indicated problems stemming largely associated primarily due presence atmospheric contaminants”

Lennox stressed Friday “this matter persists long-term requiring increased transparency especially concerning insight shared amongst community members alongside actions taken forth by ministry personnel who should provide clarity moving forward”

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