All Statements of Support
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Tom Ratcliffe says,
Please support this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to invest in Hamilton's future prosperity and success. Smart cities put people first, and higher-order transit is a great place to start. From improved service, to reduced greenhouse gas emissions, to jobs, to tax revenues, to new construction, to cost savings ... it's a win-win-win all around. Make me proud to be from Hamilton, and say 'YES' to LRT.
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john forbes says,
We need this!!
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Rahim Malekzai says,
Make LRT happen!
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Adrian Clark says,
Please make this LRT happen. Hamilton needs this type of investment and it will start other investment in housing and commercial projects along the route.
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Dan Gismondi says,
I fully support Hamilton’s LRT!! Council approve this project and let’s move Hamilton forward!!!
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Robert Bowers’s says,
Hamilton needs something it can be proud of and the LRT is it! A big chance to support forward looking community needs. I fear that city council will drop the ball again as they so often have in the past. I hope not this time.
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Shannon Kehler says,
I vote yes for LRT! This city is growing in leaps and bounds.
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Kyle Rozoski says,
Once again, I am asking council to please, please give support and approval to our LRT. Just look at the success of KW. I could go on for days. I just wish to voice my support for LRT in Hamilton.
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Alice Preston says,
I lived in Kitchener when the LRT went in there and it is a good thing. I know it from first hand experience.
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Guy Bradford says,
Please, please, please build the LRT.
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Andreas Witz says,
About time to build the LRT. Hamilton is known for the worse public transit and also for some of the worse politicians. This needs to change now!
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Peter Elton says,
I have lived in Toronto, Waterloo and Vancouver and have seen first hand how an LRT (or in the case of Vancouver, the Sky Train) can add vibrancy and economic growth to a city. The dvelopment along the Sky Train route has been explosive. And already Waterloo is seeing the fruit of the investment in the LRT.
And for all of those people not living in an area of the city to be served by the LRT, you have to start somewhere. Just look at the Toronto subway now compared to the system in the 1950s. -
Graeme Luke says,
We need LRT and the money from senior levels of government will fund a lot of infrastructure renewal lying under the LRT path. It is time to move forward with LRT.
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Brian Coleman says,
I have been a fan/follower of streetcars since the subway opened in i954. They are the best transportation method - - pleasse put the LRT line in Hamilton as soon as possible. Briab
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Ryan McGreal says,
Dear Councillors, there seems to be a lot of consternation about the operating and maintenance costs for LRT, but those costs need to be put in context:
- We need to distinguish *gross* operating costs from *net* operating costs minus revenues.
- We need to remember that operating revenue from LRT will continue to grow with ridership, bringing the net cost progressively lower.
- We need to remember that LRT O&M costs are *replacing* existing O&M costs for the corridor. They are not just added on top of existing costs.
- We need to remember that new development along the corridor will grow the tax base. Waterloo Region's LRT has already attracted more than $3 billion in new transit-oriented development.
- We need to remember that transit-oriented development also saves the city money in not having to build new roads, water and sewer lines and maintain miles of new low density infrastructure. Waterloo Region is actually paying one-third the capital cost for their LRT becuase they calculated that it was *cheaper* than not building LRT and continuing to sprawl.
Hamilton is being offered full capital funding for the first leg of our BLAST rapid transit system. The operating costs will be comparable and soon progressively *lower* than the current operating costs for the corridor. New developments will grow our tax base. And we will save money not having to build new suburban infrastructure. This is a win-win-win-win situation and I urge you not to pass on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
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Donna LaForce says,
This is a “must do” for a progressive modern city. City council you must approved the LRT for Hamilton.
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Deann McGlinchey says,
As a native Hamiltonian and long-time resident of downtown, I feel compelled to once again reiterate my support of the LRT.
I have always loved my City. I have long defended our Ambitious City to the naysayers both living here and elsewhere. I take the hits, especially now when the bad seem to outweigh the good these days.
But as a first-time home buyer in my hometown, I am distraught with the knowledge that this current council could very well put the final nail in the coffin that is Progress. I have grave concerns about the future of our incredible City if the LRT does not get built.
As such, I implore you to consider the greater good. The benefits of LRT far outweigh any negatives. This is a second chance at a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
As Councilor Pauls stated so accurately and succinctly - "the money disappears if the city doesn't take the deal, Council has "no choice but to say yes to LRT."
Imagine if you vote against this incredible opportunity - your collective legacy will be leaving Hamilton as a laughing stock. While each of you has a vote, you must work together as a Council to ensure the LRT is completed.
After all, the LRT was a significant issue at the last municipal election, and the majority of you ran on Pro-LRT platforms.
It is your responsibility to your voting constituents now to make your election promises a reality.
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Heather Kindy says,
Yes I support the LRT. It may be costly, but it is essential for this project to not only put in the LRT but to do the repairs that are needed desperately for the city of Hamilton. We need to build this city for the future,otherwise our children will be living in a dilapidated city. This plan is creating at least ten thousand jobs as well. Our young people need to work now,not tomorrow...But Now!
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Steven Suggitt says,
This is a second chance and there is no room for your politics. The benefits are undeniable and if you (council) screws it up your legacy will be one of shortsighted grandstanding for the benefit of NO ONE.
DO THE RIGHT THING, TAKE THE MONEY AND BUILD LRT.
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Andres Olave says,
Hi im a hamilton resident and i think the LRT would add tremendous value to the city and its citizens with more modes of transportation and connections
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Connie Kidd says,
I support LRT for Hamilton with the federal and provincial funds available for that purpose, Eastgate to McMaster. I believe it will be a great transit opportunity, and will also create more housing density downtown and prevent urban sprawl onto agricultural lands (Just say NO to SPRAWL!) :)
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William Downes says,
As an expatriate Hamiltonian please add my support for the Hamilton LRT project. My full statement was sent to the previous site address before the correction. I have seen such investment work in the UK especially in Manchester.
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Jason Morse says,
The joint federal-provincial $3.4B funding announcement is welcome news, especially with the decisive condition that it is only for the LRT as planned. Hamilton is in desperate need of major transformation in the areas of transportation and land use. It's time for city council to embrace change and to begin working for the best possible outcome. We are counting on our elected representatives to move forward urgently with the Hamilton LRT project.
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stefan murray says,
We have arrived at yet another critical moment and the opportunity to change our city in such a positive, profound way may never come again. Built LRT for transit users who deserve reliability and quality. Built it for for a low-carbon future. Build it for economic development and lowering the tax burden of citizens. Build it to restore the confidence of Hamiltonians who want to reside in a resilient and forward-thinking city. Just build it!
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Tim Nijenhuis says,
Great forward looking initiative which will create economic opportunities and a better atmosphere and reputation of the lower city.
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Nicholas Matteliano says,
The numerous benefits of building an LRT in Hamilton are not limited to our municipality – the benefits extend to the provincial, national, and international levels. Hence why both the federal and provincial governments have promised a combined $3.4 billion in financial support for the project.
At the local level, large expanses of neglected real estate have already been purchased so that dilapidated eyesores can be transformed into welcoming modern cityscapes. Thousands of jobs would also be created in the process.This is especially important as the World Bank forecasts “the deepest recession since the Second World War, with the largest fraction of economies experiencing declines in per capita output since 1870” as we near the end of the Covid-19 pandemic. There isn’t anything else coming our way that could provide the economic stimulus promised by the LRT project.
Our market offers us the choice between a Ford or a Honda, for example, but not between a car and an LRT. That's just not one of the choices available in our market, and this is not a small point. Choices that involve common effort and solidarity and mutual support and concern for others need to be fostered by the government.Only the government can realistically be expected to sufficiently invest in projects like the LRT that prioritize the common good over short-term costs. We need this project to create jobs and we need support for environmentally friendly mass transportation in order to survive the growing threat of environmental disaster.
Arguing that mass transportation is necessary to ensure our survival might sound like a stretch to some, but the successful implementation of rapid and extensive public transit systems like the LRT is critical to developing the momentum necessary at an international level to further serious support for fossil fuel replacements. We need to show that we appreciate such projects as worthwhile investments. The alternative is to knowingly continue on the path from climate change to climate disaster.
Some have expressed support for a BRT in favour of an LRT because of the cheaper up-front costs, but a BRT would be a fruitless compromise. LRTs have proven to be more reliable and cost-efficient in the long term according to numerous municipalities. LRTs also have a lower environmental cost.BRTs are glorified busses – an inferior technology powered by diesel, furthering our dependency on fossil fuels. Only the LRT would provide a superior alternative to driving a car. Europe has invested in mass public transit, especially trains, to such an extent that it left North America behind decades ago.
We certainly have the cause and the means to rise to their standard.
Back in 2016, 154 distinguished scientists signed off on an open letter warning that “global warming, amplified by feedbacks from polar ice melt, methane release from permafrost, and extensive fires, may become irreversible,” with catastrophic consequences for life on Earth, humans included — and not in the distant future. Sea level rise and destruction of water resources as glaciers melt alone may have horrendous human consequences.Furthermore, the global Doomsday Clock, which has been timing the likelihood of a global man-made catastrophe since 1947, has moved to 100 seconds before midnight as of last January – the closest it has ever been to literal doomsday. Bulletin's Science and Security Board, which maintains the clock, cites climate change as a severe part of the problem.
Even JP Morgan Chase, the largest bank in the United States and one of the biggest financiers of fossil fuels in the world, released an official memo last year on the extensive “climate damage” caused by the “producers and consumers of CO2 emissions.”
The need to stop climate change shouldn’t even have to be argued at this point and investing in eco-friendly mass transportation projects like the LRT is an important step towards achieving a solution. The fact that the LRT project will attract positive press by enhancing Hamilton’s aesthetic is merely an additional benefit.
Supporting the LRT means supporting what could be the most significant development in Hamilton’s history. Rejecting it means obstructing Canada’s national need to reduce our carbon footprint and deliver a powerful economic stimulus during a pandemic that has severely threatened the financial security of millions.Do the right thing.
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Julianna Beckett says,
We had an election about this and it was supported by the citizens of this City. Now there is federal funding. Build LRT now!
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Tom Weisz says,
While the LRT is not a perfect solution it is still the best of the available options. For those who fear the cost and impact, look at the cities where LRT has been built. A Premier who claims to have been a successful businessman should understand the need to make an initial investment for longterm future returns.
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Fazz Patel says,
Investing in Hamilton’s public transportation system is the right thing to do for commuters who cannot afford a vehicle, the environment as it leads to lower number of cars in the road and it drives more businesses and public to the Hamilton area.
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Alice Preston says,
I support LRT .l lived in Kitchener when it went in there . It is the right thing to do.
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