LRT poll and a scrappy senior

Clara Wallman is a retired public health nurse in her 80s with some very strong opinions about LRT, opinions she’s more than happy to have counted and weighted.

The west-end resident is among some 2,100 Hamiltonians who have or will be contacted by Forum Research, the Torontobased polling firm hired by several city councillors to survey the community on the contentious $1-billion light rail transit project.

According to the scrappy Wallman, her recent answers to the automated phone poll were all “very decisive.”

More on that in a moment, but first the poll. It consists of three direct LRT questions.

After briefly describing the plan for a light rail line between McMaster University and the Queenston traffic circle, respondents are asked how familiar they are with the project on a scale of one (very familiar) to five (unsure).

Next they’re asked if they approve, disapprove or are undecided.

Finally, they’re asked if the city should hold a referendum prior to making a final decision — yes, no, or unsure.

The poll concludes with several demographic questions — gender, age range, children under 18, education level, household income, if the respondent was reached by land line or cellphone, and if they have a land line as well as a cellphone.

The question of whether telephone surveys include cellphone contacts is a hot issue these days. Many argue that polls which don’t include booming mobile use can’t produce accurate representative samples of public opinion. According to the Canadian-radio and Telecommunications Commission, 85.6 per cent of households have cellphones while 75 per cent still use land lines.

Wallman, by the way, was reached by land line. She does have a cellphone but, frankly, doesn’t bother answering it.

How did she vote?

Well, let’s begin by saying if she’d been asked the same questions a year and half ago, her answers would have been very different.

Back then, she thought LRT was just a gigantic waste of money and recipe for traffic chaos.

“My problem was I was stingy with money because I was poor when I grew up and I thought (pro-LRT councillors) were all crazy.”

But she’s been diligently following the ins and outs of the debate and now vigorously supports it as a vision for the future.

“I believe in helping my great-grandchildren.”

In short, Wallman has come to see the project as a transit and economic “investment in the future,” one that will move the city forward, changing it from a “horse-and-buggy town” to a more modern and progressive city like Toronto.

She thinks some councillors are frightened of taking such a big step. But Wallman equates it to the chance she took years ago buying a cottage, which over time has proven to be a profitable investment.

So, in answer to the poll, yes, she is very familiar with the project.

Yes, she approves. And, no, a referendum isn’t necessary. “Get this damn thing done,” Wallman says.

In truth, I’ve heard from others who’ve been polled who are no fans of LRT. But what’s interesting about Wallman is she not only illustrates how the debate cuts across all ages, but how people can change their minds if they’re open to new information.

For his part, Mayor Fred Eisenberger sees the poll as capturing a “moment in time” which can’t possibly tell the whole LRT story. That’s fair. But if done well, it can advance the discussion and increase public engagement on an issue that has more strands than a spider web.

Hearing from Wallman has made me even more curious about the results, which fortunately will be ready before the April 19 council committee meeting to approve (or delay) the environmental assessment report. It also makes me regret that there hadn’t been an earlier poll so we could track how people like Clara Wallman have come to grips with the project over time.