Heated LRT debate has bred excessive negativity … and some bad manners on both sides

‘Gorilla’ of an issue filled with tension, bullying and abuse: Will the wounds heal?

Mayor Fred Eisenberger has asked staff to pull together a complete list of all the pros and cons connected to the LRT project for Wednesday’s do-or-die debate and vote.

That means we can expect to see a full range of the economic, infrastructure, transit and environmental benefits for continuing with the provincially funded $1-billion project — as well as, presumably, the risks associated with pulling the plug.

Similarly, on the downside we’re bound to be told about the unknown tax impacts, years of construction upheaval, rippling effects on traffic, loss of street trees and parking along the route, and property expropriations.

What probably won’t make either ledger, however, is the tremendous amount of civic engagement the project has generated or the damage done to civil discourse by hardliners on both sides.

It seems virtually everyone you speak to has an opinion on LRT these days, which is good and the way it should be for such a high-stakes transformational project.

But as one city councillor privately bemoaned recently, this “gorilla” of an issue has also created a deeply divisive wedge in the community that’s not only overshadowing all the great things that are happening in the city but is also breeding intolerance for opposing views.

At least two anti-LRT delegates at last week’s marathon city hall meeting complained about being bullied and abused by LRT advocates. But nobody can reasonably argue it’s a one-way street. Neither side has exclusive claim to the high or low moral ground.

As the tensions and frustrations mount, passions seem to be increasingly giving way to zealotry and conviction to dogma, which always has a way of bringing out the worst in people.

More than one pro-LRT member of city council has confidentially lamented that their cause isn’t helped by some light rail advocates on social media sneering condescendingly at those who hold different views. Again, the same could easily apply to the other side.

The reality is, social media is too often a swamp of derision, rudeness and bad manners. The belittling excesses we’re witnessing over the LRT debate are, regrettably, to a large extent also a sign of our times. But this dark side of the LRT debate goes well beyond social media or personal encounters.

For example, at last week’s LRT meeting, Coun. Terry Whitehead, an LRT skeptic, briefly sparred with Hamilton Chamber of Commerce president and CEO Keanin Loomis, an avid LRT supporter who was speaking on behalf of his membership.

Whitehead objected to Loomis’s statement that after 10 years of heading down a path, LRT was in danger of having the rug pulled out at the last minute due to “cold feet and political opportunism.” Whitehead clearly didn’t think “political opportunism” was a fair characterization of councillors opposed to the project.

Perhaps that’s no big deal by itself, but it comes on the heels of Loomis recently suggesting on CHML talk radio that councillors backing away from the project are clueless, saboteurs or cowards. That kind of scornful and dismissive language from someone who speaks on behalf of 1,000 business members is bound to rub some councillors the wrong way. They’re all big boys and girls who should expect strongly worded criticisms from the media and public.

But to be openly ridiculed by the local voice of business was surely a shocker. It demonstrates the extent to which LRT activism is affecting normal discourse and potentially damaging relationships at various levels.

Hamilton has seen this kind of bitter and divisive debate before, of course. Political amalgamation, the Red Hill expressway, the downtown casino and the stadium debate all triggered excessively strong opinions and emotions.

In each case, regardless of the result, the community eventually moved on after the shouting died down. People picked up their daily lives and the wounds mostly healed. Hopefully, that’s what will happen with the LRT debate, too. Hopefully.