Elections
Do you support the city's plan to build an east-west light rail transit (LRT) line with full capital funding from the Province?
Responses to the question: "Do you support the city's plan to build an east-west light rail transit (LRT) line with full capital funding from the Province?"
In This Page:
6 Candidate Responses (top)
| Ward 03 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Brief Response | Full Response |
| Agostino, Ralph | Maybe | Maybe; We don’t have all facts that supports the province will provide full funding. There are some unanswered questions to make the correct decision. |
| DiMillo, Mark | No | LRT should not be an election issue, it should be a planning issue. Furthermore, it is not a stand alone issue with a yes or no answer. We keep talking about it like we are going to wake up the day after Christmas and it is going to be there as a gift from the province. The reality is that the earliest, if everything lined up perfectly, and given the existing projects underway that have funding commitments from the province we are 7-10 yrs away from LRT as a reality even if it was supported by Hamiltonian's. The Premiere herself said in early August that major infrastructure spending is vulnerable. If the province said they were going to put the shovel in the ground next week, my answer is no. The province has set growth targets for both employment and population. We need to monitor our growth, and use benchmarks so that at the appropriate time LRT or rapid transit will be a matter of when not if. We cannot sustain it now, and I wouldn't want to build it now and by the time we need it, and it could be sustainable, it is already 25 yrs old and needs a lot maintenance or replacing. On the other hand to grow jobs and attract good employers, two of the key factors employers look at are cities with good infrastructure which includes transit, and secondly quality of life. In short there needs to be some good planning, some balance, and not just the let's build it and they will come approach, or take the money and run. As taxpayers we will no doubt pay for infrastructure projects that don't affect our city because there is only one taxpayer. If that means we have to pay for other projects in the province now, then eventually the taxpayers outside our region will have to pay for infrastructure and transit projects for us when the time is right. We cannot accept the full funding without comprehensive planning initiatives that complement the province's investment in Hamilton. |
| Green, Matthew | Yes | I support the city council plan to build an east-west LRT the full capital funding from the province. |
| Mejia, Victor | No | I say no to LRT it does not work for us in our city. |
| Omazic, Drina | Yes | I’m a progressive on transit – as I am on most issues.
I support the City’s plans and am concerned if we don’t plan carefully – to be a vibrant city – that is attractive to people – we will fall behind other cities that are moving ahead on urban transit. For me, it’s a qualified yes. I am for transit that is affordable and efficient. |
| Simmons, Tim | Yes | If the Province is willing to pay the full shot, then I am in favour of LRT. Either way we need a rapid transit strategy for the entire city and that will also include buses.
We don't have to wait for the LRT to be built to get started on the other components of a rapid transit system. |
Response Summary (top)
| Brief Response | Count | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| Yes | 3 | 50.0% |
| No | 2 | 33.3% |
| Maybe | 1 | 16.7% |
9 Candidates Have Not Responded (top)
| Ward 03 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Anastasiou, Maria | ||
| Assadourian, Bob | ||
| Gibson, Sean | ||
| Hess, Jol | ||
| John, Eva | ||
| Kelly, Brian | ||
| Millette, Byron Wayne | ||
| Pinho, Carlos | ||
| Szajkowski, Bernie | ||
