Nrinder Nann - Ward 3 City Councillor

https://nrinder.ca/ Social Feeds https://www.instagram.com/ward3hamilton Nrinder Nann on small business red tape, commercial rent pressure, and designing the LRT to support Main Streets Hamilton Ward 3 Councillor Nrinder Nann joins Alex Hobcraft to discuss what City Hall can do for small businesses, especially those trying to survive in brick-and-mortar spaces. They discuss inspections, permits, commercial rent pressure, and how big infrastructure projects like the LRT can affect neighbourhood business corridors. Nann brings firsthand perspective as a former small business owner and community organizer. She explains where the city can streamline processes, where systems need to change, and what a successful LRT rollout should look like for the streets it touches. Key topics In this episode: Nann explains the difference between running a business from home or online and taking on the costs and risks of a brick-and-mortar location. She shares: How owning a wellness center on James Street taught her about rent, overhead, and the pressure to keep a storefront financially stable. We discuss: Why commercial renters in Hamilton may need stronger protections, including the idea of a commercial renter’s bill of rights. The conversation covers: How successful businesses can become targets for rent increases once they prove they can draw customers to a neighborhood. Nann breaks down: The red tape involved in opening a business, especially when inspections and clearances happen one after another instead of in parallel. She points to: The city’s One Stop Shop model for residential applications as a possible template for speeding up commercial approvals. We discuss: Why advocating for individual businesses isn’t enough without broader changes that make approvals coordinated and predictable. The LRT conversation focuses on: How construction can disrupt businesses, and why the city needs strong communication, advance notice, and stakeholder planning. Nann says: The LRT corridor should be treated as a partnership zone involving businesses, residents, schools, and community spaces. She describes: A post-LRT vision with wider sidewalks, trees, active transportation, mixed uses, and more street life. Timestamps 00:00 — Why this conversation matters for Hamilton’s small businesses 01:13 — What owning a brick-and-mortar business teaches a councillor 02:16 — Rent, overhead, and why storefront success can still be unsustainable 03:41 — Why closing the storefront improved business viability 04:36 — The case for a commercial renter’s bill of rights 06:30 — Why opening a business can stall on inspections and clearances 07:53 — The One Stop Shop model as a fix for commercial red tape 08:50 — Why predictability matters more than advocacy alone 10:06 — How LRT construction could affect businesses and neighborhoods 11:03 — Treating everyone on the corridor as a stakeholder 12:00 — Using Main Street conversion as a test case for LRT planning 12:58 — Where the LRT project stands 15:08 — The long-term vision: a thriving, walkable corridor “What I know for a lot of Hamilton business owners who rent, not only are rents super expensive these days to try and open up a business, the other thing is like as renters, as commercial renters, there's not a lot of protection built in.” “We need to get the approvals on the bricks and mortar lined up with the approvals on the inspections required for the license and the business to function so that those businesses can open their doors with confidence and predictability.” “I really see it as an artery of possibility.”