McMaster students support LRT
Time for the city and province to work to make it a reality
McMaster students know that Hamilton is an increasingly ideal city in which to live postgraduation. Hamilton is primed for growth in jobs, culture and opportunity. To expedite this, Light Rail Transit (LRT) is a necessary investment for Hamilton and the province. Students need our city and province to start working together to make it a reality.
The government of Ontario has been dropping hints that its upcoming 2014 budget will provide for LRT in Hamilton, a keystone piece of infrastructure and investment in the Greater Toronto/Hamilton Area (GTHA).
About a month ago, Transportation Minister Glen Murray jumped into the LRT debate — and then right back out of it — while delivering a speech in Hamilton on the importance of capital infrastructure projects and the upcoming $44 million investment in a new Hamilton GO station. Murray’s speech clearly articulated the province’s intention to grow infrastructure and transportation throughout the GTHA.
Just last week, in a precursor to the spring budget, Premier Kathleen Wynne made a $29-billion commitment to transit funding in Ontario, with $15 billion earmarked for the GTHA. On the heels of positive funding news for Hamilton, Murray clouded the issue by stating he is still waiting to sit down with Hamilton’s leadership to work on an implementation deal. This comment is concerning as Hamilton council has been working to secure such a meeting for an extended period of time and had yet to receive a provincial commitment.
Last year, city council voted unanimously to approve an LRT strategy, connecting McMaster University to Eastgate Square. Thousands of Hamilto-
… McMaster students are tired of waiting for the city’s provincial and municipal representatives to balance the roles and responsibilities of LRT advancement.
nians, including McMaster’s undergraduate population of approximately 22,000 students, support this plan. Students remain of this opinion, standing behind the numerous studies and reports that have demonstrated LRT’s potential for economic development, sustainable transportation and urban revitalization. Yet miscommunication between the City of Hamilton and the government of Ontario has resulted in inaction on LRT, despite continued mandates from Hamilton residents through municipal and provincial elections.
Students are encouraged that it’s becoming quite clear the current Liberal government is interested and willing to play a part in infrastructure creation. Wynne’s $15-billion announcement for transit funding in the GTHA is welcome news. Students remain cautiously optimistic that the 2014 budget will provide this necessary infrastructure funding for our city. Furthermore, I am hopeful that this funding announcement will reignite the conversations at City Hall concerning long-term project capital, as both levels of government need to share responsibility in the cost and development of LRT.
With LRT potentially on the horizon in the 2014 Ontario budget, the question then inevitably shifts to Andrea Horwath’s New Democrats and their election plans. Horwath has committed to LRT, and has proposed to pay for it by raising corporate taxes by 2.5 per cent by 2015. Should the NDP reject a spring budget and force an election, Hamiltonians should expect a strong LRT commitment and plan from Horwath — doubly important as she’s the MPP for Hamilton Centre.
No matter what happens at the provincial level, city council must be willing to explore hybrid costsharing options or a public-private partnership like the Kitchener-Waterloo model. But make no mistake, better communication between the province and the city is clearly needed in order to determine an acceptable funding model.
I can’t speak for all Hamiltonians, but I will say McMaster students are tired of waiting for the city’s provincial and municipal representatives to balance the roles and responsibilities of LRT advancement. Hamiltonians should be tired of continuously watching our elected officials take one step forward and two steps back every time someone talks about Light Rail Transit.
Spencer Graham is vice-president (education) of the McMaster Students Union. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from McMaster University and has lived in Hamilton for the last five years.