Ford ‘ploy’ has council re-thinking LRT support

They ponder other ways to spend $1 billion

Some city councillors are secondguessing their support for LRT following Conservative Leader Doug Ford’s announcement Hamilton can spend the $1 billion on other infrastructure projects if it rejects light rail.

Lloyd Ferguson, heretofore a staunch LRT supporter, says Ford’s proposal is “very appealing” and will force him to rethink his position if the Conservatives

But Jackson says Ford’s proposal giving the city the option to spend the money on other transit and infrastructure projects dovetails with his own preference to spend it on the city’s transit fleet and upgrading roads, sidewalks and water mains.

“I wished all along I had the latitude on how to spend the money,” Jackson said.

“If (PCs) are fortunate and lucky enough to win a majority government … this aligns with what my preference has been.”

If, however, the Tories fail to win or form a minority government unable to follow through on Ford’s offer, Jackson says he’ll continue to support LRT to hold on to the $1 billion.

Terry Whitehead, a reluctant light rail backer at best, says he’s always maintained he’d reweigh and measure his support for the project if circumstances change about how the $1 billion can be spent.

The west Mountain councillor is considering running for mayor.

He says he’ll make his decision before the provincial vote, but if he does takes the plunge a Conservative victory will certainly influence his mayoral campaign.

Downtown councillor Jason Farr, an LRT stalwart who steadfastly believes in the project’s economic development benefits, probably sums up the way a lot of people feel about Ford’s pronouncement.

“I’m still letting it process,” Farr said, adding the matter clearly hangs on the results of the provincial election.

“I don’t want to predict the outcome of the provincial election, but if it’s a Conservative landslide, there’s no doubt I’d be kidding myself if I thought this won’t be an issue, wedge or otherwise, come the municipal election.”

Sam Merulla, another lower city LRT advocate, argues that throwing away light rail on the strength of Ford’s pitch would be a “betrayal” of all the planned infrastructure renewal along the 14-kilometre route between Eastgate Square and McMaster University.

For his part, Mayor Fred Eisenberger is mainly looking at Ford’s offer as a continuation of light rail’s “roller-coaster ride.”

Eisenberger says he’s still focused on delivering the project and is gratified Ford has joined the leaders of the other mainstream political parties in supporting it.

Nonetheless, he notes Ford’s plan to give the city the option to use the money for other infrastructure will open the door to other municipalities asking for the same.

He also says there are a lot of questions about the “fiscal reality” of using borrowed Metrolinx money, earmarked for rapid transit, on other projects.

“I would say it’s very oversimplified to suggest that $1 billion is sitting around and waiting to be dropped on the city of Hamilton.”

Hamilton’s LRT project team hopes to put the project to tender soon, but a contract with a consortium won’t be signed before spring 2019, well after this year’s provincial and municipal elections.

Any move to outright reject LRT this term of council would procedurally require a two-thirds majority vote as it would be a reconsideration of council’s previous support for the project.

The new city council elected in October, however, could theoretically overturn LRT based on a simple majority vote.

In sum, as Eisenberger says, “The roller-coaster ride continues.”