Community Safety and Well-Being Plan
Hate Prevention and Response
Hamilton Together: Show Up, Speak Out, Stop Hate
Join the City of Hamilton to launch Hamilton Together: Show Up, Speak Out, Stop Hate, a public awareness campaign focused on hate prevention and response.
Date: Thursday, October 22, 2026
Time: 4 to 5 pm
Location: Hamilton City Hall, 2nd floor
The City of Hamilton is working to prevent and respond to hate and violence as part of the Community Safety and Well-Being (CSWB) Plan 2025–2029. This work focuses on supporting residents, improving how services work together, and building safer, more inclusive communities where everyone feels a sense of safety and belonging.
The City is taking action to:
- Make it easier to understand how to report hate and where to get support
- Improve coordination between the City and community organizations so responses are clear and consistent
- Increase public education and awareness to prevent hate and discrimination
- Support staff training to ensure responses are respectful and trauma-informed
- Use data and community input to better understand trends and improve how the City responds over time
This work is done in partnership with Hamilton Police Service (HPS), the Hamilton Anti-Racism Resource Centre (HARRC), the Hamilton Anti-Hate Coalition, and other community partners, and is guided by a shared commitment to creating a city where everyone feels safe and a sense of belonging.
Get Support and Report Hate
If you have experienced or witnessed hate, support and reporting options are available.
- 911 – if there is an immediate threat to your safety or someone else's safety
- Hamilton Police Service (HPS) Hate Crime Unit – reporting hate
- Hamilton Anti-Racism Resource Centre (HARRC) – hate and discrimination community reporting and support
Depending on the situation, other community, human rights, workplace, school or service-based supports may also be available.
You may wish to document the date, time and location of the incident, what happened, and any photographs, videos or other information that can be safely collected.
Reporting can help connect people to support, identify patterns and improve our collective understanding of hate in Hamilton.
Understanding and Responding to Hate
Understanding what hate looks like, how it can affect individuals and communities, and what to do when it happens can help prevent harm and create safer communities.
Hate can include words, actions or behaviours that target a person or group because of their actual or perceived identity or characteristics.
This can include targeting someone because of their race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, or other personal characteristics.
Hate can take many forms and can happen in person, online or in public and community spaces. It may include:
- Threatening, intimidating or degrading comments or behaviour
- Hate-motivated harassment
- Racist, antisemitic, Islamophobic, homophobic, transphobic or other hateful language
- Hate symbols, images or graffiti
- Damage to property motivated by hate
- Targeting a person or community because of their identity
Not every act of hate is a criminal offence, but that does not mean it is acceptable or that it does not cause harm.
A hate incident is an action or behaviour motivated by bias, prejudice or hate that may not meet the legal threshold of a criminal offence. This could include offensive comments, gestures, hateful material or other targeted behaviour.
A hate crime is a criminal offence where there is evidence that hate, bias or prejudice was a motivating factor.
Whether something is a hate incident or a potential hate crime, residents are encouraged to document what happened, seek support and consider the reporting options available to them.
If there is an immediate threat to your safety or someone else's safety, call 911.
Hate symbols and graffiti can make individuals and entire communities feel unsafe and unwelcome. They can include racist or discriminatory words or images, symbols associated with hate, or threatening messages targeting an individual or community.
The meaning of a symbol can depend on how and where it is being used. Some symbols may have different meanings in different cultural, historical or religious contexts.
If you encounter hate graffiti or a hate symbol, document what you see if it is safe to do so and report the graffiti through the City’s graffiti reporting process.
Discrimination happens when someone experiences unfair treatment because of a protected personal characteristic.
Targeted harassment can include repeated or serious behaviour directed at someone because of who they are or who they are perceived to be. It may occur at work, at school, in housing, in businesses or services, in public spaces or online.
Residents do not need to determine on their own whether an experience is discrimination, harassment, a hate incident or a hate crime before seeking support. Organizations can help identify appropriate next steps.
Hate can have impacts beyond the person who is directly targeted. It can affect families, communities and people's overall sense of safety and belonging.
Hate can:
- Affect a person's sense of safety and well-being
- Create fear among others who share the same identity or experience
- Make people less comfortable participating in community and public life
- Damage trust between communities and institutions
- Increase division and isolation
Preventing and responding to hate is a shared responsibility and an important part of building safer, more inclusive communities.
If you witness hate or targeted harassment, there may be ways to support the person being targeted without putting yourself or others at risk.
Depending on the situation, you can:
- Check in with the person being targeted and ask if they need support
- Distract or safely redirect attention away from the situation
- Get help from others nearby, staff, security or an appropriate authority
- Document relevant details if it is safe and appropriate to do so
- Follow up with the person afterward and help connect them with support if they want it
Your safety and the safety of others comes first. Do not intervene if doing so could put you or someone else at risk. Instead, use the available resources through Hamilton Police Service and HARRC to report concerns and access support.
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