Cambridge mayor gets OK to enter LRT debate

Cambridge Mayor Doug Craig is no longer bound to silence on matters related to the implementation of light rail transit in the region, a judge ruled.

Craig has recused himselfsince 2011 from anypublic discussions about the LRT plan, which will see a light rail train system constructed between Conestoga Mall in Waterloo and Fairview Park Mall in Kitchener. The route also includes buses with designated lanes between Fairview and the Ainslie Street bus terminal in Cambridge.

The Cambridge mayor had declared a conflict of interest under the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act because his son Mike Craig owns propertywithin 600 metres of a Cambridge transit station.

But Superior Court Justice D.A. Broad ruled on Friday that the conflict was "so insignificant and so remote that it cannot reasonably be regarded as likely to influence."

Since the time Craig declared his conflict on June 29, 2011, the rapid transit project has moved forward, and construction will begin in earnest next year. The route it will travel has been finalized, Ion has been chosen as the brand name for the transit system and the region has asked three groups of developers for construction proposals.