Elections
The Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area has some of the worst traffic congestion in North America. What, if anything, will you do to alleviate the gridlock?
Responses to the question: "The Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area has some of the worst traffic congestion in North America. What, if anything, will you do to alleviate the gridlock?"
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4 Candidate Responses (top)
| Hamilton Mountain | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Brief Response | Full Response |
| Hans Wienhold | Yes | Well, finally an easy question.
The idea that government should have a near total monopoly on roads (and transportation in general) is one that is rarely questioned. Yet, what it really asks is.... should we continue to place our hopes and trust in the system of road socialism? ... with it's excessive costs, it's interminable delays, its idiotic stream of regulations, prohibitions and fines... and it's decrepit product? As regards the decrepit nature of it's product... imagine if you went to patronize an evil private company, like Wal-Mart and it were run like a government road. First of all there would be the bumps and potholes. Then you would find that you could not enter through the front door... it would be "under construction" .... for months at a time.... over and over again. So you would have to detour and go through the back door or something whereupon you would be imediately be greeted by a person wearing a uniform... who demands to see your papers to determine whether you have the "right," to shop there. If you complain the person in uniform will notify you that, "Shopping at Gov. Inc. Wal-Mart stores is not a right... it's a privilege." (Hmmm... didn't it kinda work that way in the old Soviet Union, where only party members were allowed to shop at certain stores?) And then the shopping aisles will be highly regulated. If you turn down the wrong aisle (one way) ... or spend too much time at one shelf (no stopping) ... or fail to peruse the condom selection (to fight overpopulation) ... you will be fined. If you go to the music department and choose CD's by foreign artists you will be advised that, in order to complete your purchase, you must purchase a certain percentage of music by Canadian artists, even if you can't stand their product.... (for example, I hate RUSH.) And finally, there would be the horrific death toll. How many people die on government monopoly roads every year? Is the government ever sued? |
| Monique Taylor | Yes | The cost of congestion in the GTA is $5 billion annually. Ontario’s NDP recognizes that we need to provide convenient and affordable transit options to busy Ontario families by putting transit plans back on track.
In the coming weeks, we’ll be announcing more on our plans to tackle the gridlock issue. |
| Sophia Aggelonitis | Yes | Ontario Liberals are the only party that can be trusted to invest in transit in order to reduce traffic congestion. Since 2003 we have invested $10.8 billion in transit in Ontario - the largest investment in 40 years.
Studies show that traffic congestion costs the Greater Toronto and Hamilton areas $6 billion a year - and it could cost $15 billion a year if no one takes action. Currently Ontario Liberals are building major transit projects that will relieve congestion in the GTHA including the Air Rail Link from Union Station to Pearson Airport. We also continue to provide dedicated gas tax funding for transit to 120 municipalities - $1.9 billion since 2003 including almost $70 million to Hamilton, and $10.8 million to Hamilton last year alone. Going forward, Ontario Liberals will implement two-way full-day GO train service on all seven GO rail corridors, creating 68,000 jobs. For Hamilton, we will build two new GO train stations (James Street North Station in Hamilton and Centennial/Confederation Station in Stoney Creek) and will provide two-way full-day service to the James Street North station in time for the Pan Am Games in 2015. This will create 8,000 jobs in the Hamilton region. As people in Hamilton work hard to attract new types of businesses and appeal to younger families, more frequent GO train service only adds to the great quality of life in this community. The NDP record on transit is disappointing. They have consistently voted against funding for transit, including the Air Rail Link that will connect Pearson Airport to Union Station and our Budgets which have contained transit funding for the City of Hamilton. The NDP have played politics with the PCs, voting together 183 times, against new subways, against GO expansion and against the gas tax for transit. The NDP have no long-term plan for infrastructure and have provided no details in their platform about transit expansion. In fact, by forcing municipalities to freeze transit fares, this will effectively stall any hope of building more transit in Ontario. The PC record on funding for transit is one of neglect. While the PCs were in power, they averaged less than $450 million a year in funding province-wide: in 2000 and 2001 they contributed only $40 million to transit for the entire province and, between 1999 and 2003, they downloaded GO Transit, leaving it up to municipalities to carry the weight. Going forward, the PCs will dilute funding for transit, allowing gas tax funding to be spent on non-transit transportation projects. Ontario Liberals have a strong record of investing in transit and is the only party that can be trusted to invest in transit going forward. |
| Tony Morris | Yes | The Green Party envisions an Ontario with smart and liveable communities. This means streets designed for all users and communities planned with mixed use purposes (live, work and play in the same area). To do this the Green Party will provide economic incentives for transit users, ride sharing, car pooling, and those that use active transportation (walk or bike to work). Furthermore, the Green Party will provide long term public transit funding through gas taxes. Additionally, we will reform the Planning Act to encourage denser and more compact communities reducing sprawl, which contributes significantly to the regions gridlock, lost productivity, and poor air quality. |
Response Summary (top)
| Brief Response | Count | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| Yes | 4 | 100.0% |
| No | 0 | 0.0% |
| Maybe | 0 | 0.0% |
4 Candidates Have Not Responded (top)
| Hamilton Mountain | ||
|---|---|---|
| Brian Goodwin | ||
| Geordie Elms | ||
| Jim Enos | ||
| Trevor Pettit | ||
