Elections

Timothy Taylor, Candidate for Ward 6 in Hamilton Municipal Election 2018

Details page for this candidate.

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Candidate Details (top)

NameTaylor, Timothy
ElectionHamilton Municipal Election 2018
AreaWard 06
PartyN/A
Votes0
Email timothy.taylor@thecrux.ca
Website (no website listed)
Home289-260-7530
Business
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Responses to Questions (top)

QuestionBrief ResponseFull Response
Global warming is an existential challenge facing humanity. Do you think Hamilton should play a role in addressing climate change? If so, what should the city be doing? If not, why not? Yes I think Hamilton already is playing a role. The HSR 10 year transit plan, the proposed LRT plan, traffic initiatives... Not to mention holding industry responsible for their pollution control measures.
Council has voted dozens of times since 2008 to advance Hamilton's light rail transit (LRT) project, including voting to submit the plan with a full funding request to the Province in 2013, and voting to accept full funding and implementation from the Province in 2015. Do you support completing the LRT plan? Why or why not? Yes I reserve the right to change my mind on this issue as more information (Construction tendering overruns, environmental impact reports, etc.) become available.

I currently support the LRT project. I think current council has been pretty clear, while not unanimously supporting LRT, they are generally in support. There have been enough votes in favour, enough times. Now, as with my own opinion, other councillors may change their minds as information becomes available during the process. One thing we have to be cautious of, is this doesn't become a project like the Tim Horton's Stadium, where a lot of great options for the city were presented and (at least in my opinion) the lesser of were chosen because of politicking instead of what was actually best for the city.

I feel Hamilton is at a turning point. We tote ourselves as the "Ambitious" city. If we are to remain the world class city we were, we need a world class transit system (and some other stuff). Does the LRT project relieve all of the issues with our transit system? Certainly not, but it helps. It is the first step down a long and... ambitious... road. It is also an important sign to the province and the country that we are serious about remaining an important city in the development of Canada. If we turn down $1bn in infrastructure(+) spending, without a VERY good reason and clear unanimous decision, we will be sending the sign that we aren't ready to move into the future together. It will be a long cold day before the province ever offers something like this again if we don't go forward now. Instead of becoming an ambitious light for the future, we will be come a rusty relic of the past.
Should Hamilton be trying to attract more young people to live, work and start businesses here, including the 60,000 students studying at Mohawk College, McMaster University and Redeemer University? If so, what should we be doing? If not, why not? Yes I believe Hamilton is already trying to attract young people to live work and do business in the city. I also believe we should continue to do so. Hamilton could reduce red tape for new business owners, and make city services more accessible. Hamilton could protect neighbourhood schools to encourage families to fill communities, rather than building large K8 schools and bussing kids around. We could ensure the promised GO Train service actually comes to Hamilton in a reasonable timeframe to encourage commuters to live here. There is a myriad of things we could do, and even more that we already do to encourage people to move and live here.
Do you support improved public transit in Hamilton? If so, what changes do you propose? If not, why not? Yes Why wouldn't a candidate support improved public transit? I suppose that's the real question. I urge constituents to really consider carefully any candidate that doesn't believe in public transit as a key foundation of a strong city. I believe continuing the 10 year transit plan, and actually getting LRT off the ground are both ways of us improving our transit system city wide.
Do you support the "Vision Zero" goal of eliminating traffic fatalities and serious injuries in Hamilton? If so, what specific actions would you take to implement this policy? If not, why not? Yes I support a Vision Zero goal. I think accident statistics and due diligence in tendering projects to support companies that support this initiative are paramount to achieving the goals. In addition, giving our city employees the tools (and time) they need to finish jobs properly instead of rushing to the next catastrophe.
Hamilton has been experiencing a slow-motion crisis in housing affordability. Do you support an expanded role for the City to provide more affordable housing? If so, what should Hamilton do? If not, why not? Maybe Affordable housing is a touchy subject because it carries a lot of connotation around with it. I believe in quality affordable housing. I believe Ward 6 has a relatively sound approach to providing affordable housing. I am not sure the city needs an expanded role, but definitely could use more funding.
Do you support phasing out area rating for transit? Why or why not? Maybe I don't have a strong belief either way on area ratings. I do believe people shouldn't be paying larger taxes for services they aren't getting. I also understand this has created inequity on the way our transit planning has gone. I don't pretend to have an answer to this problem, and will make it one of my early goals to connect with the right people to have a better understanding of this issue.
Hamilton has a legacy of multi-lane, one-way arterial streets dating back to the 1950s. Do you support accelerating the conversion of these streets to two-way? Why or why not? Yes I support continuing the conversion. Before this process started, I did not support the conversion of our One Way system into Two Way streets. I do, however, now support finishing this process because I feel downtown has become a much less safe place to drive with the current mishmash of traffic styles.
Bonus question: If LRT goes ahead, what will you do to ensure Hamilton receives the maximum benefit? Yes
The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act mandates that cities must be completely accessible by 2025. What changes would you make to ensure Hamilton complies with this mandate? Yes The AODA is an interesting piece of legislation. I do think to meet this goal there needs to be a huge information campaign, especially to independent business owners who might not know their responsibilities under the act.
Since the 1950s, most new residential and commercial development in Hamilton has been single-use suburban sprawl. Do you believe Hamilton needs to concentrate new development within the already-built area? Why or why not? No New residential and commercial single use suburban sprawl is a product of what consumers desire. In general, people no longer see raising a family with two children in an apartment as a preferred option. Whether this shift was created by developers is a topic for debate perhaps, but the fact is people want detached housing. Not everyone can afford it, land is becoming less available (especially in the core) and that is driving up pricing. I think Hamilton has historically not done enough to preserve historical features of its core, to our own detriment. Downtown has become a mishmash of old and new, but unfortunately not always in the most charming of ways. I believe Hamiltons new development strategy has been sound over the years, but believe the policy surrounding maintenance and upgrading of existing buildings needs work.