Mike Nabuurs from Talk Radio 820 AM in Hamilton interviews Hamilton Light Rail spokesperson Nicholas Kevlahan about the Metrolinx draft Regional Transportation Plan and light rail in Hamilton.
Listen to Nicholas Kevlahan being interviewed by Mike Nabuurs from Talk Radio 820 AM in Hamilton.
As a resident of Hamilton, I am deeply concerned and disappointed with the government's decision to abruptly cancel the RFP process for the Hamilton LRT, without notice or consultation with any of the affected parties.
I implore you to reverse this decision immediately. I cannot understand why a project like the LRT, which has been studied and proposed for more than a decade, would be sabotaged in such a way. This cancellation will have (indeed, already has had) a chilling effect on business and economic development in Hamilton and in the province. The City is relying on the LRT to drive economic development in the Lower City and beyond, as it has done in places like Kitchener-Waterloo. Without it, all of the City's plans are moot and we'll basically be starting from scratch. This is about much more than transit!
It's not too late to change course-- people understand that this is a project this government inherited from the previous government. If we work together, and all levels of government work together, we can accomplish great things for the City of Hamilton. Re-open the RFP process and let the planners and accountants see the numbers from the private sector. Then, at least, an informed decision on the LRT can be made, based in fact, not in opaque numbers pulled from some unknown consultant's calculations.
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