All Statements of Support
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Kristin Norris says,
I refuse to support and vote for any government that doesn’t respect public transit. The will and desire for an LRT in Hamilton was made clear during the municipal election. Hamilton will be better off with an LRT and I say this as a person who lives on the stoney Creek Mountain and will personally benefit very little from the project but believe Hamilton will be much better off for it.
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Doreen Wilson says,
For decades, Hamilton carried an industrial burden we are still emerging from. Now the province won't let us thrive. Kicked to the curb, again. Please reverse this decision and get Hamilton city renewal back on track. Thank you Premier Ford.Doreen
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Joel Swagerman says,
As a resident of Hamilton, I am deeply concerned and disappointed with the government's decision to abruptly cancel the RFP process for the Hamilton LRT, without notice or consultation with any of the affected parties.
I implore you to reverse this decision immediately. I cannot understand why a project like the LRT, which has been studied and proposed for more than a decade, would be sabotaged in such a way. This cancellation will have (indeed, already has had) a chilling effect on business and economic development in Hamilton and in the province. The City is relying on the LRT to drive economic development in the Lower City and beyond, as it has done in places like Kitchener-Waterloo. Without it, all of the City's plans are moot and we'll basically be starting from scratch. This is about much more than transit!
It's not too late to change course-- people understand that this is a project this government inherited from the previous government. If we work together, and all levels of government work together, we can accomplish great things for the City of Hamilton. Re-open the RFP process and let the planners and accountants see the numbers from the private sector. Then, at least, an informed decision on the LRT can be made, based in fact, not in opaque numbers pulled from some unknown consultant's calculations.
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Cameron Milligan says,
Many businesses and investors were counting on the LRT being build. This government can not afford to flip flop on decisions or the private sector will continue to lose faith in the government being a reliable partner. The Hamilton LRT Must Be Build!
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William Elliot says,
Why is Hamilton's LRT cancelled, when Mississauga, Toronto and Ottawa are still being built?
This is not about transportation - it is about community building.
Our LRT project needs to be reinstated -
Karen Bird says,
Dear Premier Ford,
I grew up in what is now Donna Skelly's riding (Ofield Rd. N., RR#2 Dundas) and my parents still live there. As they age, they know they will eventually need to sell the 2-acre property where they built their home and have lived for 57 years. Like many of their friends who are of a similar age, they plan to move to Dundas or Hamilton, where they can easily access excellent health and hospital care, and live closer to us (we are on the Hamilton mountain). Knowing that they will have to give up driving in their later years, they have also planned on living close to an LRT stop, which they feel will offer them continued independence - the ability to do their shopping, go to the theatre, dinner, and generally get around in their community.
My parents have some experience riding an LRT, as they visited us in Sydney, Australia during my sabbatical there. We did not have a car, and traveled everywhere across that city on the extensive LRT and bus system. During my parents' time with us, they marveled at how simple it was to take the LRT, how many nice people they met on the bus, and how easy it was to get where we needed to go. They loved how they could go downtown with their teenage grandkids, without having to worry about finding their way and parking, not to mention driving on the right hand side of the street!
Another thing about my parents. They are "old timers" who have never lived without a car. My mom learned to drive a crankshaft truck when she was 10 yrs old, on her parents' farm on the 6th Concession in Millgrove. My dad is a an antique sports car collector (last count, he owned 3 cars plus an old Ford pickup), who is happiest tinkering in his garage and polishing up his '74 Fiat. They live in the country, where there is no municipal water or sewer service, where everyone travels by car. They and their friends have voted Conservative many times, though recently not so much.
I tell you all of this, as you may have heard that Hamilton's population is "divided" about the LRT. What I want you to understand is that it is only divided as a result of the wedge politics played by too many of our city councillors (past and present). People do tend to be wary about what they don't know. But once people like my parents actually experience what an LRT system provides, they come quickly to appreciate its many benefits to them personally and to the wider community.
Premier Ford, it is not too late to do the right thing for the people of Hamilton. Including for the many folks like my parents - who will come to depend on the LRT as they age and need to re-organize their lives to maintain independence and a good quality of life. Please make this right, and invest in the LRT for the future of our community.
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chris labenski says,
How can hurontaro be 1.2 billion and ours is 5.5. When ours has fewer stops and fewer klms love to hear your false answer!
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Brian Muthaliff says,
Multiple modes of transportation within any city is beneficial to is economy and livability. Having this LRT built is essential and is the catalyst Hamilton needs to stimulate its growth.
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Graham Craword says,
Premier Ford,
I write as a Hamiltonian who has long supported LRT. I'm very concerned not only with the decision to cancel the provincial government's commitment to build LRT, but also with the way in which the decision was made and the way the decision was communicated to Hamiltonians.
We are so close to having real numbers that it makes no sense to use mystery accounting as the basis for the cancellation. I believe the provincial government owes all Hamiltonians the opportunity to review the actual bids from the 3 consortia.
I encourage you to allow this to happen. Then, and only then, should we decide our path forward.
Sincerely,
Graham Crawford -
Neil Therriault says,
Please restore funding for the Hamilton LRT. Other municipalities in Ontario have received funding, why not Hamilton?
The LRT would dramatically improve our downtown. Cutting funding will set us back decades.
Do the right thing and restore funding.
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Phil Barbier says,
Absolutely disgusting and unconscionable that they dangled this carrot to the people of Hamilton and the Golden Horseshoe area only to just yank the rug right out from our feet.
Shameful behaviour preventing our cities from developing further. We need to move away from the personal behaviour in urban centres especially - we need better transit so people have good alternative options to choose from.
Not to mention this would help bring the city up to more modern standards with the rest of the world
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Grant Ranalli says,
Premier Ford,
I don’t always agree with your policies but I was pleasantly surprised when you originally chose to honour the previous government’s commitment to fund Hamilton’s LRT project. I have been active in this file for the past eleven years and fully support it as not only s transit system, but also a project that has boosted downtown development which translates into more economic growth and more tax revenue for the city, as well as the province.
Killing this project at such an advanced stage would be a huge waste of money, energy and time already invested, and could result in stalling growth for this city.
We already know that it will lead to significant cancellation costs.
If you want to garner support in Hamilton, please do the right thing snd reverse the hasty cancellation if this project.
Thank you,
Grant Ranalli -
Brock McNichols says,
Not only do we need this LRT now, it will be the building block of this city for years to come. I am a proud steelworker, father, and Hamilton resident. Please allow the people of Hamilton to have the LRT we supported, voted for, and you promised to not stand in the way of. I know you will do the right thing.
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Dawn Vanson says,
Hamilton has been moving in a positive direction and developers have recognised that and with the promise of LRT have begun investing in Hamilton. Treat us as fairly as Mississauga and support our growth.
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Paul MC Cormack says,
Get it done Doug, show Hamilton that you care as much about our economy as you do about Toronto.
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Elly Bowen says,
We need to stop being short sighted on the future of Hamilton. It is a great city with lots of potential, but to realize it, we need a better transportation system. Leave it up to the city to decide what mode is best for it.
Doug Ford never gets it right the first time, we know this. So please change this crazy decision and get it right the second time. Have Mulroney come back in the New Year and correct the error of your ways. -
Steve Smashnuk says,
The LRT is critical to Hamilton's future. This was proven out over years of deliberation and erased with on hidden and likely flawed study.
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John Vraets says,
LRT has the potential to completely change the city of Hamilton and you have the chance to be the government that made it happen. Don't walk away from this project.
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Scott Eason says,
The LRT project had already spurred great residential growth and renewal important to a city with too much sprawl dependent on cars. The way it was cancelled is an absolute disgrace. Please share all the data used to justify the hasty cancellation or, better yet, get this project back on track.
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Mo Yang says,
It’s a shame the government cancelled this project. Hamilton is a great city and it needs transport.
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John Clinton says,
Dear Premier Ford
Please support the people of Hamilton whose Mayor and majority of council support LRT. It's not too late to allow the LRT process in Hamilton to move forward. We've been planning for this for years. You allowed the property acquisition to go forward. You allowed the tendering process to begin. Let's see those results before deciding how to proceed. We, the people of Hamilton, are depending on you to be a premier for all of us. Thank you.
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Kari Glynes Elliott says,
Good public transit is essential for a community and Hamilton needs LRT.
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Andrew Marshall says,
I am disappointed and frustrated by this decision that looks political and not based on an objective of economic development or sound policy. The LRT would have created a competitive city and attracted more economic growth then a rapid bus system. The benefits of LRT would be positive outside of the core as the tax base would have improved. Capital investment decisions should be respected as they rely on timelines that are longer than any political party’s time in office. Foolish politicians are the reason Canada’s infrastructure is so lacking and we are way behind having the infrastructure to move our population. Please reverse this decision that doesn’t respect the city’s authority in determining appropriate transportation infrastructure.
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Mary Lou Tanner says,
I strongly support LRT. I strongly support open and transparent government. The recent decision is neither open nor transparent with the province’s secret report. Release the report and let’s have it peer reviewed by trusted experts not someone whose name and credentials are also secret.
As for the cost to the Hamilton taxpayer, LRT is an important tool to spur investment, create jobs, and build new revenue in a modernized City. What this decision has done is taken away the economic uplift and increased tax revenue. The decision is what will hurt Hamilton taxpayers. LRT helps Hamilton taxpayers.
Hamilton’s 2018 election was about LRT. The people across this entire City overwhelmingly voted yes to LRT. Secret documents, economic disinvestment, anti-democratic. That is what the cancelling of LRT is. It’s not too late - say yes to open government, say yes to economic investment, say yes to democracy and the will of the people. Yes LRT.
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Gemma Corless says,
To have a project in the works from 2007 only to cancel 12 years later is a cruel and cowardly decision. Hamiltonians want a better city and deserve improved infrastructure. We are owed the opportunity for better commutes, the increased resources and seeing King Street in the East end flourish after so long in the gutter.
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Shannon Graszat says,
Very bad decision on the part of the provincial government
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Annette Caprice says,
Premier Ford, by shuttering the plan to implement light rail transit in our rapidly growing city, you are basically saying that Hamilton is closed for business. We as a city deserve better. We deserve to be open for business just like the rest of Ontario. Please do the right thing and reverse the devastating decision to cancel Hamilton’s LRT.
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Brendan Simons says,
After 12 years of study and debate, spanning several election cycles, LRT should be an easy win. If the Conservatives want to be remembered for moving Ontario forward, they'll be hard pressed to find a more effective, ready to start project.
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Brendan Duke says,
Please revive the plan to build LRT in Hamilton.
The LRT will connect McMaster with the downtown core, which will help rebuild Hamilton's economy by connecting our University knowledge source with businesses and organizations downtown.
The people of Hamilton voted for LRT in the previous municipal election by voting against Sgro. It is our democratic choice to have LRT.
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Le Duong says,
As a long time resident of Hamilton, I am disheartened by the actions displayed by the provincial government in the cancellation of the LRT.This is simply not just about cancelling some fancy vehicles and roadways to save a buck or two. This is about cancelling Hamilton as a city of growth. Cancelling our voices as a community who have long debated and voted to move forward to build a community that would be sustainable and transformational for us and for others in the generations to come. The economical and environmental benefits of such project is too vast to ignore. Let us decide our faith as a community. Give us the power back to finish what we have started. Respect and fairness is all that is asked. We can not turn back. We must not turn back. We deserve better.
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