Paul Johnson
Director, Neighbourhood Development Strategies – City of Hamilton
Paul Johnson joined the City of Hamilton in November of 2010 to take on the role of Director of Neighbourhood Development Strategies. In this position, Paul works out of the City Manager's Office and is responsible for developing strategies for aligning investments and activities to better support healthy neighbourhoods.
Prior to joining the City of Hamilton, Paul served as the Executive Director of Wesley Urban Ministries for 10 years. Wesley Urban Ministries is an outreach ministry of the United Church of Canada that provides a variety of services to individuals and families trapped in cycles of poverty in the Hamilton area.
Through his work at Wesley Urban Ministries, Paul built community-based programs that increased the health and well-being of some of the most vulnerable men, women and children in Hamilton. Paul led the development of innovative housing programs for adults and youth that have helped hundreds of people build the skills to be fully contributing members of the community. Paul also expanded Wesley's programs to include outreach activities and community centres that provide support in some of Hamilton's most challenging neighbourhoods.
While at Wesley, Paul took a leave to serve as the Project Director for the Hamilton Roundtable for Poverty Reduction from May 2005 to June 2006. This initiative brings together leaders from all sectors in the community to develop a community action plan for reducing poverty in Hamilton. The Roundtable is encouraging all residents to help make Hamilton the Best Place to Raise a Child.
Paul is a champion of community collaboration and believes strongly that multi-sector efforts are the best way to address complex issues and achieve successful outcomes. Paul remains a member of the Hamilton Roundtable for Poverty Reduction. He is also Chair of Hamilton's Best Start Network, an initiative that works to deepen the commitment to early childhood development and one that has a huge impact on learning, health and behaviour. Paul also played an important role in developing a framework for service planning as the Chair of the City of Hamilton's Human Services Planning Initiative.
In 2006, Paul was named a Paul Harris Fellow by the Rotary Club of Hamilton (AM) and in 2007, he was named the Honorary Chairperson for the Week of the Child and Youth. An avid basketball fan, Paul was the play-by-play voice of McMaster University basketball in the 1990s and continues to referee the game at a local and provincial level.