HSR/LRT request lands ‘after the fact’

Late debate suggests a lot of HSR supporters were missing in action on this file

It’s interesting to hear that Premier Kathleen Wynne isn’t “philosophically opposed” to the city-owned HSR running Hamilton’s nascent light rail system.

But it’s perhaps more telling that local MPP Ted McMeekin, Wynne’s parliamentary assistant, is hinting the proposal may be too much, too late, given that the process for selecting a private company to deliver the $1billion project is already underway.

When the subject came up during Wynne’s Monday meeting with the Spectator editorial board, McMeekin, who clearly has a tighter handle on the file than Wynne, signalled his surprise that council hadn’t raised the issue earlier.

“So now we’re in a situation, Premier, as you know …,” McMeekin began to say. “It’s after the fact,” Wynne interjected. “After the fact, changing the bidding process,” McMeekin resumed, going on to warn that such a move could create unknown new costs to city taxpayers. Amen to that. The proposal, which goes to council for ratification on Friday, does, in fact, land as Metrolinx is well into the process of evaluating three applicants who are interested in building the LRT system. Those companies responded to a request for qualifications (RFQ) based on the original procurement model — to build, design, finance, operate and maintain the system.

That RFQ went out in early February; submissions were closed in April. If the province now approves the city’s tardy request to have HSR operate and maintain the LRT system instead of a private company, Metrolinx says it will need to send out a revamped RFQ. That will add another four months to the project’s timeline and possibly cast it into the vagaries of the 2018 provincial and municipal election cycles.

So why didn’t council get moving on the request earlier?

Although there had been casual talk of HSR and its drivers, Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 107, running the system several months ago, Coun. Matthew Green formally raised it in July and brought it before a special LRT committee meeting Aug. 9, where it was approved in a 9-4 vote.

True, Local 107 had previously spoken out against the “privatization” of LRT. But it only launched its galvanizing “keep transit local” campaign in June. Union president Eric Tuck says he first broached the issue with the premier and mayor at the provincial funding announcement for LRT in May 2015 and subsequently raised it privately with “every member of council.”

Be that as it may, the point is nothing was done about it politically until last week. McMeekin suggests council should have raised the issue and made it part of its LRT package before it approved the updated environmental assessment at the end of April. Does this mean the request is doomed? Not necessarily. But the lateness of the hour does suggests a lot of HSR supporters were missing in action, which is now, as McMeekin notes, creating uncertainty over the impact on the local tax levy if the province approves the request.

Unfortunately, we won’t have any clues to the size of that impact in time for Friday’s vote.

Although city LRT co-ordinator Paul Johnson says he’ll update councillors on preliminary discussions with the province, he can’t provide any cost estimates. Johnson says it’s impossible to furnish any potential financial impacts until staff knows the province’s response.

Johnson notes it’s entirely possible that rather than giving a flat yes or no, the province may agree to a portion of the city’s request.

It could, for example, allow HSR to operate the system but not maintain it — the same arrangement it has for LRT systems in Toronto and Ottawa. Or it could allow HSR to operate some aspects of the system, but not all.

Whatever happens, you can count on one thing: It’ll neatly fit into Hamilton council’s customary flying-by-the-seat-of-one’spants approach to LRT.

Andrew Dreschel’s commentary appears Monday, Wednesday and Friday. adreschel@thespec.com 905-526-3495 @AndrewDreschel