HAMILTON—Mayor Andrea Horwath is laid up in a hospital bed today, April 30, after a rough tumble down the steps of City Hall left her with a busted wrist and a slew of other injuries. The 62-year-old took a spill Tuesday afternoon, caught off guard by what her office called “extremely windy conditions” that turned a routine exit into a medical emergency.
She’s undergoing surgery now to fix a broken wrist, a procedure that’s got her team and council holding their breath. Doctors are also poking at an elbow fracture and a leg injury, still sorting out what kind of treatment she’ll need next. Horwath, ever the trooper, is said to be in “good spirits” despite the pain, her office noted in a statement Wednesday morning. No word yet on how long she’ll be sidelined or who’s steering the ship at City Hall in her absence.
The fall happened on those wide, concrete steps outside the municipal building, a spot most Hamiltonians know well. Wind or no wind, it’s a stark reminder that even mayors aren’t immune to gravity. Council’s general issues committee, meeting Wednesday, sent their “thoughts and prayers” her way, with Councillor Mike Spadafora leading the charge while chairing the session.
Horwath’s office first broke the news late Tuesday, saying she was in the hospital and awaiting surgery. By Wednesday, the picture was clearer: multiple injuries, a complex recovery ahead. The mayor, a fixture in Hamilton politics after years as Ontario’s NDP leader, has been a steady hand since taking the city’s top job in 2022. For now, her focus is on healing, not governing.
No official timeline exists for her return. The city’s website lists Deputy Mayor Matt Francis as the go-to in her absence, though no formal announcement has named him acting mayor. Horwath’s office promises updates as her condition evolves.