Bratina asks for review of federal LRT funding
Outgoing Liberal MP criticized his own government for funding what he called a ‘pet project’ of Infrastructure Minister Catherine McKenna
Turns out MP Bob Bratina’s quest to derail LRT did not end when he effectively quit the federal Liberal Party last month.
The MP for Hamilton East-Stoney Creek announced in May he will not seek reelection as a Liberal because of his government’s decision to put up $1.7 billion to help resurrect a cancelled light rail transit line in Hamilton.
Now Bratina is asking the parliamentary budget officer to review the appropriateness of the federal funding, calling LRT a “pet project” of Infrastructure Minister Catherine McKenna. There is no guarantee that review will take place.
The former mayor said in a release he is “extremely concerned” the funding decision was made on “the whim of a minister
who has consulted only likeminded individuals.” Bratina previously said he was upset he was not consulted on the LRT decision and complained his concerns were “totally ignored.”
McKenna and local Labour Minister Filomena Tassi replied to the criticisms in a joint statement Monday, noting Bratina’s opposition to LRT is “well-known” and that he had been involved in “numerous discussions” about the federal role in the project.
They also noted the federal Liberals ran on a transit- and climate-focused platform and pointed out both city council and the Progressive Conservative province had appealed for the federal cash now on offer.
Bratina’s parting jab comes as councillors prepare to debate Wednesday whether to endorse a 14-kilometre light rail transit line that now comes with $3.4billion in federal-provincial construction cash — but also a city obligation to pay about $20 million annually in gross operating costs.
The province has asked the city to sign an agreement in principle on the project as soon as possible and the federal government has said its funding is only available for LRT.
Councillors appear divided on the project, despite $180 million spent so far, and dozens of residents and businesses already forced off the planned transit line.
The Office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer has received Bratina’s request but has not yet decided whether or not to conduct the review, said director of parliamentary relations and planning Melissa Fraser Arnott. That decision will be based in part on available resources as well as “the level of interest from other parliamentarians” — for example, if any other MPs decide to make a similar request, she said.
Mayor Fred Eisenberger, a longtime LRT champion, declined to comment on his predecessor’s latest effort to derail the project Monday. But other light rail fans reacted angrily as Bratina’s release circulated online.
“What an embarrassment to our great city of #HamOnt,” wrote Victoria Mancinelli, director of public relations for construction union LIUNA, which has publicly pushed to bring the cancelled project back from the dead.
Bratina was mayor of the Hamilton council that voted in 2013 to ask the province to fund light rail transit. But he has nonetheless repeatedly spoken out against the project, including in 2017 when he urged councillors to “revisit” a pivotal decision to move ahead with LRT.
Some critics have questioned whether the veteran politician is speaking out now with an eye toward another mayoral run in 2022.
Bratina did not explicitly rule that out when asked in May, but also dismissed the rumour as “speculation.”