Bratina talks transit, economy on CBC Radio One's Metro Morning

Mayor Bob Bratina weighedinon the role of his city in the Greater Toronto-Hamilton Area, giving particular attention to the issue of transit,in an interview Monday with CBC Radio One's Metro Morning.

He told host Matt Galloway that transit, particularly the introduction of full-day GO train service, will help the city grow.

He was ambivalent, though, about Metrolinx's plan for building transit for the entire Greater Toronto-Hamilton Area, which includes a slated LRT for downtown Hamilton.

"One of the big answers to that is this GO connection to Toronto," Bratina said. "Does the rest of the Metrolinx plan fulfill that? We'll have to wait and see."

The mayor also took the opportunity to boast about Hamilton's rising economic fortunes.

"We're the only city in Ontario that's under six per cent in unemployment right now," he said.

"We've got a recordfor building permits going on, and you can still get a nice house for less than $250,000."