Statement by Daniel Moore

I am writing to ask City Council to show unified support for a strong investment in public transportation in Hamilton.

I am frustrated that I need to the take time to voice my continued support for LRT. Like many residents, I have already shown my enthusiastic support many times over - by voting for a mayor who promised to keep this issue moving forward, and by speaking with my councilor and neighbours. I was overjoyed to hear last May that the province was affirming its commitment and that project planning is underway and hoped that the hard work of planning finally begin.

It is dismaying to hear that a small circle of councilors are trying to raise doubts about the project at this stage. Councilor Collins and Councilor Whitehead have each had numerous opportunities to articulate their concerns and receive direct feedback from staff. It seems wasteful to force the project planning to start over with no other reason than a small, poorly articulated desire to oppose the project in theory.

To be clear, I am a voting resident and want to see more investments in public transportation that will make our city more livable and accessible for everyone.

Finally, I hope that the divisive tactics used by Councilor Collins and Whitehead do not reflect on all Hamiltonians. My partner and I love this city and recently decided to buy a home here because it feels like a genuine community. We know our neighbours and are active in our neighbourhood - as is almost everyone else we know. The Hamilton we cherish uses bridge building and collaboration and shared vision to get work done. This makes the recent news from City Council all the more shameful. These councilors are not representing Hamilton well.

We hope that they will decide to put their efforts into building cities, rather than barriers, after learning more about the value of this project from the people of Hamilton.

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