Stop creating uncertainty and move on with LRT, says Andrea Horwath

Both Ontario's transportation minister and the leader of the Ontario NDP say they'd like Hamilton to get on with building a $1billion light rail transit (LRT) line.

Steven Del Duca said in a statement Friday that he remains focused on getting shovels in the ground. And Andrea Horwath, Ontario NDP leader and Hamilton Centre MPP, wants Hamilton to move ahead as well.

LRT is the right thing for the city, and we need to stop creating this uncertainty and get behind it.- Andrea Horwath

"I understand the hesitancy," she said Friday after a meeting with health-care workers in Hamilton.

But "if we don't go forward with these kinds of projects, then our city will be kind of lost in time and lose a great opportunity."

One year ago, Premier Kathleen Wynne announced $1 billion for Metrolinx to build an LRT line in Hamilton.

The line will run from McMaster University to the Queenston traffic circle, and down James Street North from King Street to the West Harbour GO station, or the waterfront if budget permits. Construction is due to start in 2019, with the line opening in 2024.

The city has signed a memorandum of understanding with Metrolinx and set up a joint office, and is finalizing a design plan. But some city councillors appear to be getting nervous about the project, putting off a vote last week to formally accept the $1 billion and "reaffirm" Hamilton's commitment to LRT.

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Instead, they'll vote on Wednesday after city staffers present the design plan at a city council general issues committee.

Some councillors have expressed concerns over the project, including how it will impact transit throughout the city and the impact of construction on business.

Horwath says city council makes its own decisions and has its own debates. "That's something they need to do." But she's always wanted LRT for Hamilton, and still does.

"LRT is the right thing for the city, and we need to stop creating this uncertainty and get behind it, and no pun, get moving on the commitment."

People need to be reminded of how important this is and what the stakes are.- Nicholas Kevlahan, Hamilton Light Rail

"We need to really get serious about providing alternatives to the single-occupancy car."

Meanwhile, a group of pro-LRT residents is launching a renewed effort to spread the word about LRT's positive attributes.

Hamilton Light Rail wants to drive home that LRT will bring economic uplift, that the province has researched it and the provincial money is in hand, and that city council has already studied and supported LRT.

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"People need to be reminded of how important this is and what the stakes are," said spokesperson Nicholas Kevlahan.

"We're told that maybe there's a group of silent or less active people who don't support it," he said. But "this debate has been going on for eight years and there's never emerged any organized opposition to LRT."

Statement from Steven Del Duca