City can spend LRT money on other projects, says Tory leader Ford
Could be the game changer in simmering transit debate
Yes, Doug Ford will continue to fund Hamilton’s contentious $1-billion LRT project if people want it.
But the new leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservatives says if council and the people of the city don’t, they can spend the money on another rapid transit system and fixing basic infrastructure.
“I believe in letting the people decide,” Ford said.
Ford was in Hamilton Tuesday night for a rally at Carmen’s Banquet Centre on the east Mountain, one of a series of barnstorming campaignlike
stops in the lead-up to the June 7 election. He is in Brantford, Welland and St. Catharines Wednesday.
During a brief interview before hitting the stage in front of more than 350 cheering supporters, he emphasized that under a PC government the LRT money isn’t going anywhere if the project is dumped in favour of another system.
“The $1.3 billion is going to stay here no matter if it’s roads or infrastructure or whatever they want to spend it on.”
That sort of dovetails with former Tory leader Patrick Brown’s position that the PCs don’t want to take sides in the long-running LRT debate but will be respectful of council’s decision come what may. Where it significantly differs, though, is Ford is not restricting spending the money on rapid transit. He says it could be used for transit, roads, bridges — any infrastructure project council and residents want.
Council currently supports the provincially-funded LRT project but that could be open to debate and challenge if the makeup of council changes after the October municipal election, and when the impact of the yet-to-be-signed operations and maintenance agreement on local taxpayers is known.
Ward 7 Coun. Donna Skelly, a vocal opponent of LRT and now the Conservative candidate for Flamborough-Glanbrook, has long advocated leaving the choice in council’s hands free of provincial penalization. But Skelly thinks Ford’s position on possibly using the money to help tackle Hamilton’s $3-billion infrastructure deficit could be a “game changer.”
“I think this is excellent that we’re going to allow residents of this city to determine the future of this money,” Skelly said.
Prior to the rally, Ford also
stated his position in an email to The Spectator. “I’m always in favour of public transit but as someone who has sat on city council, at the end of the day it’s the people who knows best what the priorities of the city are,” he said. “Unlike the Liberals who said LRT or nothing, a PC government will ensure Hamilton will get the money for transit or infrastructure.”
Skelly may be right about this being a game-changer. Under the position previously staked out by Brown, it was always believed that if council switched gears to a
cheaper transit system the funding would likely be commensurately reduced.
However, Ford’s reference to “transit or infrastructure” clearly opens up tantalizing possibilities, though it’s hard to imagine what the provincial transit agency Metrolinx will make of all this having already committed $93 million to the LRT project, of which $65 million has been spent.
The leaders of the four mainstream parties — PC, Liberals, NDP and Green — all support Hamilton’s LRT. But the Conservatives are once again the only party on record saying the money could be used for other projects.
The Liberals, by contrast, have suggested if Hamilton ditches light rail in favour of, say, bus rapid transit, the city will have to join a new lineup for Metrolinx funding.
The “Rally for a better Ontario” at Carmen’s was Ford’s first appearance in Hamilton since winning the March 10 leadership race to replace Brown, who resigned over allegations of sexual misconduct.
Ford, 53, is a former Toronto city councillor, mayoral candidate, and older brother of the late and controversial former Toronto mayor Rob Ford. Big, bluff, and hearty, he didn’t hesitate to invoke his brother’s name while addressing the mostly partisan crowd. Speaking directly and colloquially, he praised the “hard-working, grassroots people” of Hamilton as he criticized the Liberals’ record and promised a “new day will dawn” under a Conservative government.
During his interview with The Spec, he also advised the people of Hamilton to make sure councillors are clear where they stand on LRT during the municipal election. “I don’t trust politicians,” he said.