Statement by Jonathan Deveau

In 2010 I decided to move from a GTA suburb to a condo in downtown Hamilton. While there were several factors that influenced this decision, one main one was that I was encouraged by the direction that the city and province were taking in regards to sustainable transit planning and urban development in the core. At that time it seemed certain that Hamilton would have a functioning LRT system in time for the Pan Am games.

After the events of this summer, it's hard to be certain if I'll even still be living in this city by the time (if ever) we do get a sustainable, long term transit option. Certainly if I was considering buying property downtown now as opposed to in 2010, I would have a harder time convincing myself it's a good idea. There are many existing benefits to living in this city, and I won't regret my decision even if we never get an LRT line. But as an outsider looking in, it's difficult to want to invest somewhere where you can't trust the leadership. LRT was so heavily promoted by the mayor, council, and province previously, and now it seems like they may be trying to sabotage the project. How do you invest in a city with "potential" when the leadership is unable to complete the projects that give the city its potential in the first place?

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