Hamilton politician has some nerve, calling any other place unattractive
What unbelievable gall. Hamilton city councillor Donna Skelly called KitchenerWaterloo’s light rail system “ugly” and “not attractive” on Wednesday, according to news reports.
She said this at a meeting of Hamilton council, which gave the thumbs-up, 10-5, for an environmental assessment of its own highly controversial proposal for light rail transit.
Skelly doesn’t support the proposal, and thought it would be a good idea to argue against it by trashing other places that are building light rail.
Two journalists, each working for separate news organizations, tweeted that during the meeting, she had critical words for us.
“Mount Clr Donna Skelly says a tour of Kitchener LRT revealed ‘it’s ugly. It’s not attractive,’” tweeted Kevin Werner of Hamilton Community News.
And Samantha Craggs of CBC sent out a Twitter message that “@SkellyHamilton says she went on a tour of the K-W LRT line and it’s unattractive. Some boos from the audience.” Strange, isn’t it? I mean, have you seen Hamilton Harbour from the Queen Elizabeth Way as you drive to Niagara?
With its tall smokestacks belching flames and gas, it looks like an industrial wasteland. It makes me think of that scene in the Lord of the Rings movie where Frodo finally destroys the ring of doom by dropping it into the fiery pit.
As for the downtown area, I hear it’s better than it was some years ago when I visited and saw people so angry and sketchy, in surroundings so decayed, it was hard to believe I was in Canada.
By comparison, our own characters in downtown Kitchener — the fellow on the street corner who calls us to come to Jesus, the panhandlers, the people who randomly shout swear words as they walk by — are tea-sipping, satin-robe-wearing Downton Abbey-dwellers.
It is beyond ludicrous for anyone from Steeltown to insult any other place’s appearance.
What was Skelly thinking? On Thursday, I emailed her, called her twice, and also got her assistant to text her. I explained I wanted to ask her about her comments. She hadn’t responded by my deadline later that day.
Waterloo Region councillor Tom Galloway said he knew that some of the Hamilton councillors who oppose their own light rail proposal had come up here.
“I asked staff if it had been arranged,” he said. “No one knew they came nor toured them or answered any questions.”
But Galloway has a question for Skelly.
“I would question what she expected it would look like. It’s an LRT system after all. And it’s still under construction with many unfinished elements.”
When it’s done, with public art, landscaping and other final touches, it will look good, he said. And you can see that already.
This is all doubly galling because, as we all know, Hamilton’s light rail project is being handed to the city on a silver platter.
Like a parent with a favourite child, Ontario’s Liberal government is offering to build Hamilton’s billion-dollar light rail system for free. No municipal taxes will be spent on it.
By contrast, forward-thinking Waterloo Region wanted light rail, and is using its local taxes to share the cost with federal and provincial governments.
We’ve got both insult and injury going on here. The unequal treatment from the province is an injury to Waterloo. Skelly’s comments are an insult.
But, as they say, living well is the best revenge. After all, where would you rather make your home?