Statement by Justin Coombs

I've never seen such a transgression in Hamilton for all the years I've lived here. Thirty-one years. The downtown regions are changing, changing a lot faster than one can even adjust to. These changes are much needed. You know, I hate how Barton Street has looked for 30 years. But I have hopes that it will change.

Six to seven years prior, it was just the Hamilton that I've seen for the decades, the Hamilton I've been succumb to. The same old Barton Street, James Street, Cannon Street, Main Street. Bayfront Park, Ivor Wynne Stadium,

Currently we're faced with more people than I've ever seen, many people at different income levels which are bringing even more jobs and services. If we want retention and validity of the people in response to better transgression and economic development of this city, we're going to need the infrastructure in-support of people wanting to stay here to live, work, and play.

Not going forward with the plan for LRT would hamper the developmental stages we're currently facing. We need the new infrastructure to sustain the precedented change that is currently happening.

Not going forwarded would mean less food on the table for everyone. More accumulative taxes with the same old Hamilton we've had for decades.

Not going forward would mean no retention of people, or jobs.

Not going forward would mean educated, and skilled people moving out of city.

Not going forward would mean a Hamilton Ontario that I would not want to see.

We need a burgeoning city that supports life and lesson, a place of retention for people who are educated or are being educated, for people who are skilled or who are learning a skill. A place for the artist to also flourish and benefit from their surroundings. A place for the artist to feel the need to put a brush stroke to canvas in a way they feel entitled to and to complete their works. From mindset to paper.

Supporting an equal playing-field for all starts with a plan for economic development as a baseline, structured from the minute plans are negotiated to unearth the soil building the foundation. The foundation starts with the retention of the people.

We need a Hamilton that supports all income levels, a city that also gives a good chance for change.

No adaptive conciliation, no compromise for LRT would be the worst possible choice and would destabilize our future moving forward.

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