Time to stop this LRT foot-dragging
It is time for politicians to show leadership and do the job they were elected to do
To all Members of City Council:
It was in 2010 that the city created a Citizens Advisory Committee to look into the proposed LRT system. The committee reported to council a year later. That committee reviewed the proposal from end to end, getting answers to a broad range of questions to ensure that the concept was valid for Hamilton, that it was accessible to all, that it was tied into the existing systems appropriately.
This group of more than 20 Hamiltonians who represented the disabled, seniors, community groups, business organizations along the route, women and men, all of whom represented lifetimes of knowledge, wisdom and experience of living and loving this city, vetted the whole concept. The outcome was a changed proposal.
After his election, Mayor Fred Eisenberger had another review made of the project.
In other words, there has been a thorough public consultation process. Citizens who have waited years to provide their input, especially negative suggestions and roadblocks, do not deserve the attention they are now being given. They should have spoken up and made their contributions when it mattered — in the early stages when things could have been changed easily.
Though several things have changed such as the eastern terminus and the northern extension to the James Street North GO Station, the concept remains the same: that this is a first step in city building.
It is not the end; it is the beginning of a major, decades-long process to create an efficient city capable of competing in the future as we now see it developing. Yes, it moves people, but have you noticed how development always follows transportation systems? The city will have a higher tax base and it will have more people living in less space which is an important factor in reducing maintenance costs for our infrastructure.
Yes, there will be disruptions, but these are short term. Yes, businesses will be inconvenienced, but this is your challenge as community leaders — to reduce the negative impacts on these businesses through carefully crafted legislation which might include reduction of taxes among other emoluments and allowances. Let me repeat, it is the job for which you were elected; that job being to provide leadership and support to effect change and improvement in our city.
It is a craven attitude to cower behind the opinions of others who have agendas and to claim that you are representing the needs of your constituents.
Your constituents, regardless of where they live in our community, need you to have a forward-looking vision, not a retrograde one.
I, like many in Hamilton, have remained relatively quiet about this situation, but the foot-dragging attitude has to stop. It must stop now and you must identify how you can help our city become better. Councillors who still have questions have not been doing their job — this has been on the books for seven years now! That’s lots of time to gain a thorough knowledge not only of the problems but also of potential solutions to those problems so that all of us can gain. Even those of you who have been elected since this first surfaced have had time to identify how you can support this city-building project.
To those who do not identify with the negativism shown by your colleagues, push harder. Speak out more fully in the community, not just at council and committee meetings. Explain to Hamiltonians — all Hamiltonians — how this first step will benefit all. Open houses are not enough.
Finally, and this is just as important, we need to get on with other problems facing the city which need attention not being given to them due to the excessive time and energy devoted to this issue.
It is the beginning of a decades-long process to create an efficient city capable of competing in the future …