History shows region wants to move forward
Columnist Peter Shawn Taylor has once again returned to his old hobby horse: light rail transit. Over the years, he has doggedly smeared and demonized LRT in print, and now he seeks to rewrite history.
In his recent column (Is Hamilton’s LRT from an Alternative Universe?), he casts the Hamilton LRT saga as if it were some kind of alternate reality version of Waterloo, which is appropriate since his account of Waterloo’s LRT story is out of this world.
I believe it’s high time someone brings him back down to earth.
Mr. Taylor’s column plays fast and loose with several points of recent history. Let’s start with the 2011 Ipsos-Reid transit poll he cites. This poll asked residents what they wanted to see for transit improvements in Waterloo Region. Mr. Taylor points to “Do Nothing” as the most popular single selection. But he conveniently leaves out that these respondents accounted for just 32 per cent, while the respondents preferring the various rail and bus rapid transit system options totalled 64 per cent, outnumbering the “Do Nothings” two to one!
Clearly, the majority of respondents supported some form of rapid transit, and this was confirmed by a separate Record poll. What both polls also revealed was different preferences about what to build. How much light rail? How much bus? How far and at what price? These were difficult questions we had to wrestle with.
Mr. Taylor would have preferred to boil these questions down to a referendum, and points out that most respondents supported a referendum to one degree or another. This is hardly surprising: when you ask people if they should be able to express their opinion, most of us tend to say yes.
However, a referendum is best reserved for clear yes/no propositions. The rapid transit issue was anything but, and a simple yes or no question can’t cover the different trade-offs and options available. This is why we have elected councillors to study all the issues, weigh all the variables and public feedback, and then make an informed decision. That’s what we elect them for. And at the next election, we can reward or punish their performance when we go to the polls.
We got that opportunity in 2014, an election Mr. Taylor (at the time) boldly declared to be a “de facto referendum on the region’s transit plan.” If it was, then the result couldn’t be clearer: anti-LRT litigant turned regional chair candidate Jay Aissa was soundly defeated, and the other anti-LRT council candidates were given a firm “thanks, but no thanks” by voters. For Mr. Taylor to now claim it was actually “too late” to hold council accountable is not just a case of sour grapes. It is also dismissive of our citizens’ endorsement of the trajectory Waterloo region is on.
Through polls, and in the elections of 2010 and 2014, and at countless public consultations, open houses and council meetings, people sent a clear message to keep our vibrant region moving forward. Now, as construction nears a close — if we can all agree on one thing, it’s that we’re happy to see the end of it — there’s an air of excitement building around the launch of light rail. Witness the thousands who showed up and waited in line simply to see and touch the first delivered vehicle.
In the time since Mr. Taylor’s column was published, “alternate Earth” Hamilton has decided to advance its LRT project to the next stage, after agreeing with the province to extend the eastern end of the route to a much better anchor point. A strong majority of Hamilton councillors have recognized the value light rail will bring, and have chosen to keep their city moving forward, too.
As for that new anchor point for Hamilton’s line; it’s a mall. Replacing an overcrowded bus, this light rail route will serve a university and downtown, support current demand and future growth, and will terminate at a mall. There, it will interface seamlessly with bus routes which will extend its reach.
If all of that sounds familiar, it should. Hamilton is following the same principles that have guided Waterloo Region. It seems our cities occupy the same world after all.
However, that has not stopped Mr. Taylor from riding his hobby horse into an alternate reality, and maybe it’s time for him to finally jump off. If he needs a new form of transportation, might I suggest the train?