All Statements of Support
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Arvind Singh says,
The cancellation of Hamilton LRT was undemocratic, unwise and short-sighted. Minister Mulroney made the decision on at best questionable cost estimates and at worst inflated numbers used to justify sudden cancellation of LRT. This decision needs to be reversed, in order for meaningful development of transit in the City of Hamilton with highest Return on Investment (ROI) as described in the report "The North American
Light Rail Experience: Insights for Hamilton" by Christopher D. Higgins and Mark R. Ferguson with the McMaster Institute for Transportation and Logistics (April 2012).When considering transit options for Hamilton, LRT is the best solution going forward. So we need to express commit once again to it. I urge the Taskforce to reverse the poor judgment by Minister Mulroney and put forward LRT as the best choice for the future of Hamilton. When the majority of Hamiltonians, across urban and suburban wards overwhelming voted pro-LRT Mayor Eisenberger, they gave a mandate to move forward on this project. That is the democratic will of the majority of Hamiltonians.
When considering evidence for LRT, we find that it has great potential to transform Hamilton, including providing many construction jobs in the local area directly through building LRT. Long-term LRT if done right has the potential to create real growth and investment, both around the stops along the line and also from a larger tax base for the municipality.
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Leslie Addison says,
Considering the numbers used by the Government were false and grossly overestimated and the fact that the Federal government has agreed to cover the funding gap, there is NO reason the task force should not recommend the LRT project for Hamton.
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Cameron Swan says,
Beyond the obvious transit improvements, Kitcheners LRT brought in billions of dollars in business investment to the area. We could have the same and revitalize our downtown core. The transit in this city also needs improvement and with the federal government covering the cost overrun, this is a perfect opportunity to prepare Hamiltons transit for the future. This project should go forward.
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Steve Snowden says,
Anything that helps Hamilton prosper and reach its full potential should be fully supported. The more prosperous the city becomes the more funds will be available for social programs, affordable housing, homelessness and additional infrastructure spending.
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Shannon Balfour says,
Hamilton needs LRT now! As a daily bus user, I can attest that our main corridors in the lower city (Main Street and King Street) are consistently congested and experience a ton of bus bunching because there simply isn’t enough room on these roads to accommodate all the traffic. We need LRT to establish an efficient public transportation system in the lower city - one that would offer working class people an affordable and quick way of getting where they need to go. We need a robust public transit system including an LRT to move forward as a city, both economically and environmentally!
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kathy bresnahan says,
The provincial government needs to continue what was started in Hamilton and complete the LRT. It is projected to create an economic engine for the city, that will benefit the entire community and surrounding areas.
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marilyn nazar says,
The LRT is so important to connect through downtown Hamilton. More development in the downtown core will only help the city come alive and enter a whole new era. It is about time this city invested in the downtown core, which has so often been neglected and underdeveloped in favour of West Hamilton, the Mountain, Stoney Creek, Ancaster and Dundas.
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Ryan Tse says,
LRT is the only viable path forward to making material progress towards growing Hamilton as a place to live and do business. The taxpayers have already invested time and money that it will never get back towards a project that was promised to go forward. The case against the LRT is based on misinformation and politically motivated. The province must continue with the LRT project.
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Matt Meier says,
Canceling an LRT plan that the city of Hamilton has been working on for the better part of 2 decades is an absolutely disastrous decision. Now is the time to reconsider that terrible decision and get this plan back on track, pun intended.
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John Goodwin says,
The benefit to moving around more efficiently is obvious but the many other facets of LRT that don’t get talked about unlocking the development potential of the route. Concentration of services and accessibility. Environmental benefits makes the entire route more walkable.
Eases pressures on higher rent areas as people can live a little farther away and not increase commute times.
Case in point Waterloo Region has seen fantastic uptake in all of the above mentioned categories
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V. Wayne Elshaw says,
LRT is the best solution for moving people in Hamilton. It will: take cars off the road, make moving across the city more efficient, cut pollution, abate climate change and be a city-building project.
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Jesse Gallant says,
Hamilton needs the LRT to move forward and expand, hsr is already taking a heavy load with lots of busses full beyond capacity. The economic impacts this would have would be extremely positive for our city to grow and flourish.
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Justin Hairsine says,
Please get LRT in place.
To not invest in transportation infrastructure is stupid and short sighted.
Get it done.
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Margaret Moore says,
Please support the LRT. I believe in evidence-based government, public investment, and accurate budgeting. All the arguments support the Hamilton LRT.
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Christopher Hampson-Curtis says,
Dear Transportation Task Force,
I sincerely hope that you recommend the province allow the city of Hamilton to move forward with its planned LRT project.
I have been looking at vacant, boarded up buildings on properties that were purchased for the planned construction of the LRT for weeks now, and it saddens and frustrates me that the cancellation of this project has meant so much waste in this city. The time and funding spent on everything from planning to purchasing properties has now completely gone to waste, and the city has nothing to show for it but vacant properties and frustrated citizens who want the best for this city.
I am concerned that any transportation project other than a light rail transit system will not have as meaningful an impact, both environmentally and socially. The city could relegate the money to updating the HSR bus system, but the buses would need to be electric to move the city forward in carbon emission reduction to the same degree that the LRT would. That said, even electric buses would need to share the road with traffic. This would mean more buses stopping along major streets disrupting the flow of traffic, as well as Hamilton's public transit system continuing to be subject to stop lights, traffic jams and poor road conditions. An LRT would be independent of all of these things, and would be out of the way of street traffic for the most part.
I also believe that a light rail transit system would greatly benefit the social aspects of this city. An LRT would certainly be an impressive and very modern addition to the city's public amenities, and would attract people to Hamilton's downtown and surrounding areas. With less traffic flying by on King Street and a much nicer means of public transportation, I believe that businesses along the corridor would also see increased business, and people would be inclined to spend more time in the downtown area.
With these and other concerns in mind, I sincerely hope that the task force makes the decision to recommend that the province continue the funding and move forward with what is a very important and influential project for the city of Hamilton.
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Nick Policelli says,
LRT is a very necessary part of Hamilton's future growth and vitality. Please reconsider this important option.
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Gabriel Patrascu says,
LRT has the highest positive impact for Hamilton in terms of economic, social and environmental benefits. Multiple studies show the massive benefit this project will bring and Metrolinx's own comparisons show Hamilton LRT has higher net benefits compared to other projects in Toronto.
Hamilton LRT is the only project of its size that is ready to be implemented. With 12+ years of planning, extensive pre-construction work complete, over $160 million already spent and over 60 properties expropriated, the LRT project is well underway.
The federal government has offered to cover the funding gap for Hamilton LRT, which was the only reason Mulroney cited for cancelling the project in the first place.
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Paul Constable says,
This was another one of the Ford governments bone headed moves. Promise one thing...pull it away last second.
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Carly Weir says,
We have to think about the future of Hamilton. With population rising and traffic becoming an on-going issue, an LRT is a fantastic environmentally friendly solution to future problems.
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Daniel Fitzgreen says,
Please give us the LRT that we've been repeatedly promised. Please be more decisive than our half-wit councillors and make a decision to give hamilton an LRT so we can continue to move people in our quickly growing city.
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Michael Samborski says,
I live on the mountain and will potentially never take the LRT but know that it will intensity the downtown core, increasing the tax base there and lessening the tax base needed elsewhere. A high tide raises all ships.
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Janis Topp says,
Many years of extensive study and a municipal election showed the Hamilton LRT is the public transit project as the best and preferred solution for Hamilton. I strongly support it.
More highways are counterproductive.
Please recommend the continuation of the LRT project. -
Bryan Webber says,
With 3 million people expected to settle in the Golden Horseshoe in the next 30 years, we need to invest in public transit and infrastructure, like governments did in the last big wave of immigration in the 1950s and 60s.
And Hamilton chose LRT in its last municipal election. Decisively.
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Graeme McArthur says,
The LRT elimates cars off thr road. Prodes more foot traffic for buisness in the down town area and connects large portioms of Hamilton. Build this thing!!!!
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Patrick McConnell says,
Let move Hamilton into the future and not be stuck in the past! The downtown core is coming back, it needs things to help it, not to be stuck where it has been before.
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Trevor Burgess says,
Hamilton needs LRT. Honor your promise.
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Yasmin Patel says,
Please return the LRT project to Hamilton. It was wrong of the province to cancel it after so much as been done to get it started.
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Shirley Rodrigues says,
I firmly believe that LRT will benefit Hamilton from an economic, social, and environmental perspective. I disagree with the provincial government decision to withdraw their funding offer as it appears to be based on grossly inaccurate information about the projected costs of the LRT project. So much has already been invested in this project, it would be a great shame to abandon it at this point. Hamiltonians will ultimately suffer the economic and environmental loss if this project does not go through.
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Oliver Foote says,
I think that going forward with the LRT will allow Hamilton to be a much safer and more forward thinking city reducing crime rates and increasing use of transportation within the downtown core. I personally have a difficult time with transportation inside of Hamilton and this would easily alleviate the problem and it would be an investment in the future of Hamilton
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Ben DeGroot says,
Investment in sustainable and eco-friendly public infrastructure will improve this city, and more importantly, the lives of its citizens.
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