Rapid Transit

[matt602]

Probably, maybe, possibly... we'll see.

[Jon Dalton]

But the Ontario Home Builders’ Association, the Building Industry and Land Development Association and the Hamilton-Halton Home Builders’ Association say the scheme “makes transit-oriented communities less affordable by imposing additional charges, levies and taxes on new home buyers and new businesses.”

That's bullshit. Home builders built the sprawl that caused congestion, while putting the burden of infrastructure on every taxpayer. They are the reason new transit is both necessary and expensive at this point.

[Dr Awesomesauce]

Let's not get too excited about the home builders - I think we could have predicted that sort of response. They're getting spastic because they know their days are numbered.

[thistleclub]

The DC concern was also floated in BILD’s July 2013 report Government Charges and Fees on New Homes in the Greater Toronto Area.

Some GTA developers may still be smarting from this summer's news that condo development fees could double next year.

However predictable their response, the industry does have political clout at the municipal, regional and provincial levels. Metrolinx's recommendations are supposed to serve as trial balloons, so this is part of the process that leads to the government choosing its poison by spring 2014.

Who'll blink? Who'll bend? Time will tell.

[Dr Awesomesauce]

Well, if history's any indication...

[thistleclub]

Free-wheeling Murray threatens to send Liberals’ transit vision off the rails
(Globe & Mail, Adam Radwanski, Sept 5 2013)

When Kathleen Wynne named Brad Duguid as Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities in her first cabinet, an obvious question was how he would interact with the sector he was charged with overseeing. What would university presidents, known for a degree of intellectual snobbery, make of a retail politician who makes little pretense of being a policy wonk?

From government insiders, the common response was some variation of the following: “They’ll just be relieved not to be dealing with Glen any more.”

The Glen in question was Glen Murray, whose stint as TCU minister during Dalton McGuinty’s final term saw him butt heads with stakeholders and colleagues alike as he tried to advance a hastily conceived reform plan from which his own government distanced itself.

The corollary might have been that, while Mr. Duguid was brought in to calm the waters, Mr. Murray was placed somewhere he could do less damage. But that is not quite what happened.

Instead, Mr. Murray was promoted to Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure – giving him responsibility for fighting congestion in the Greater Toronto Area, arguably Ms. Wynne’s most ambitious policy priority.

Even taking into account the need to reward Mr. Murray for dropping out of the governing Liberals’ leadership race and throwing his limited support behind Ms. Wynne, it was a curious decision. And seven months later, it looks none the less so.

If Mr. Murray is trying to create chaos, he could not be doing a much better job of it. When announcing new Scarborough subway plans this week, most people in his position would have tried to demonstrate broad support for them.

Mr. Murray did not even bother to let Toronto’s municipal leaders know it was going to happen, then conducted a bombastic press conference at which he seemingly went out of his way to antagonize them – theatre in keeping with the way he has performed his job to date....

Mr. Murray can scarcely go a week without taking gratuitous pot-shots at other levels of government, be it accusing Prime Minister Stephen Harper of not caring about Toronto or saying TTC chairwoman Karen Stintz (a potential ally) is “becoming the biggest impediment” to new transit development....

Even setting aside any effect this may have on Ottawa’s inclination to pitch in, or municipal politicians’ willingness to play nice, it distracts from whatever transit pitch the government is trying to make to Ontarians.

[Innsertnamehere]

Originally Posted by Katrillion

Okay, are we getting LRT or not? If yes, then when?

Depends if the Provincial Government can get their transit taxes passed or not. If so, yes, the LRT is funded and good to go. if no, it probably won't happen as that would mean that the Liberals got sent into an election and lost, likely with a PC victory, which is a party that has openly stated that they don't intend on ever funding the LRT. (which means it could be decades before the LRT is built)

There are currently 3 possibilities that will play out this spring, with 2 of them resulting in Hamilton getting an LRT and the rest of the GTHA getting billions of transit infrastructure.

1. The Liberal government passes their budget which includes funding tools for Metrolinx to implement the Big Move.

2. The Liberal Government fails to pass a budget, resulting in an election, which they proceed to win, allowing for them to pass the taxes on a new mandate

3. The Liberal Government fails to pass a budget, resulting in an election, which they lose, resulting in no big move.

[matt602]

If I remember correctly, the Liberals never committed 100% funding for Hamilton LRT, so even if they do get the MoveOntario budget passed, it might be down to Hamilton to pay their share which isn't likely, given the very tepid support for LRT among the majority of suburban councilors. Even some of the old city councilors are non-committal.

The case really isn't looking that good right now. Bratina did an excellent job of killing the momentum a year or two back.

[Beedok]

We need to stage a coup at the municiple level.

[CaptainKirk]

Originally Posted by matt602

If I remember correctly, the Liberals never committed 100% funding for Hamilton LRT, so even if they do get the MoveOntario budget passed, it might be down to Hamilton to pay their share which isn't likely, given the very tepid support for LRT among the majority of suburban councilors. Even some of the old city councilors are non-committal.

The case really isn't looking that good right now. Bratina did an excellent job of killing the momentum a year or two back.

No, the province says that the city of Hamilton does not have to pay directly. The big Move is supposed to be funded by the extra revenues tools that would encompass the entire GTHA.

Ontario Transport Minister Glen Murray says Hamilton won’t have to make a direct capital contribution to build its proposed $800-million LRT system.

http://www.mississauga.com/news-stor...minister-says/

My understanding is that no matter what the city wants, the province is planning on making us pay as part pf the GTHA, so it is incumbent upon the city of Hamilton to reap as much benefit as possible.

Bratina is completely out to lunch on this one as evidenced by the way he stood apart from the consensus of all the other GTHA mayors that night on TVO's Agenda. Sadly, it was embarrassing for our city.

http://ww3.tvo.org/video/190463/905-...get-you-moving

[thistleclub]

Originally Posted by CaptainKirk

No, the province says that the city of Hamilton does not have to pay directly. The big Move is supposed to be funded by the extra revenues tools that would encompass the entire GTHA.

Two articles regarding Hamilton LRT appeared in the Mississauga News on March 8, 2013:

Ontario to pay for Hamilton's LRT, minister says
Hamilton will have to pay for LRT, says minister

The point of Minister Murray's who's-on-first clarification was to indicate that this was not money that would be accessible to Hamilton without the City imposing as-yet-unannounced "revenue tools"/taxation measures/special levies. The City of Hamilton would not have to pay directly, but Hamilton citizens, businesses and developers presumably would. These revenues would help underwrite rapid transit's capital costs (shared with the province) and possibly the system's operating costs (borne by the municipality alone). It is still unclear how the funding structure would be constructed or how it would dispense revenues to Big Move communities.

[SteelTown]

Wynne creates panel for GTA public transit expansion
http://www.thespec.com/news-story/40...sit-expansion/

TORONTO Ontario's Liberal government has created a 13-member panel to find ways to fund the billions of dollars needed to expand public transit in the Toronto-Hamilton area.

Premier Kathleen Wynne says the panel will consult the public on funding suggestions from Metrolinx, which included a one per cent hike in the HST, a regional gas tax of five cents a litre and a $350-million-a-year business parking levy.

Wynne says the panel, headed by Ryerson University's Anne Golden, will also consider other options to find an estimated $34 billion to expand and upgrade public transit in the heavily congested region.

The government says people in the greater Toronto-Hamilton area spend an average of 82 minutes a day commuting, and warn that will jump to 109 minutes a day by 2031 if nothing is done.

Wynne says improving transit and investing in smart, sustainable infrastructure is critical to growing Ontario's economy and creating jobs.

The transit panel also includes representatives from unions, property developers, home builders, the Canadian Automobile Association and two so-called citizen members, Mohan Nadarajah of Hamilton and Kulvir Gill of Brampton.

[SteelTown]

Who's Mohan Nadarajah?

http://www.expertfile.com/experts/mohan.nadarajah

[thistleclub]

From Six hard truths about transit in the GTHA
(Toronto Star, Anne Golden & Paul Bedford, Oct 21 2013)

The Ontario government created the Transit Investment Strategy Advisory Panel to provide the basis for discussion of the options before us and to enhance public awareness of the vital importance of investing in an improved regional transportation system. The advisory panel comprises 13 citizens with diverse backgrounds who bring relevant expertise and experience from across the region.

In the panel’s view, the public debate is being impeded by a series of misconceptions arising from frustration with short-term political manoeuvring and wishful thinking. These emotions are fuelled by the income inequality squeeze being felt by so many.

The following six hard truths add clarity to the debate:

1) Subways are not the only good form of transit. What matters is matching the right transit mode and technology to the proposed route to avoid wasting scarce capital, reducing funds for other projects, and creating burdensome debt.

2) Transit does not automatically drive development. To be successful and affordable, transit routes must connect with current and anticipated employment.

3) The cost of building the transit is not the main expense. Life-cycle operating and maintenance costs are a major portion and must be included in the analysis leading to decisions.

4) Transit riders are not the only beneficiaries of new transit infrastructure. An integrated regional transit network benefits everyone — more choice, more job opportunities and more personal time.

5) Transit expansion in the region is not at a standstill. There is $16 billion worth of transit construction now in progress throughout the GTHA.

6) We can’t pay for the regionwide transit we need by cutting waste in government alone. New revenue sources are required.


Bedford, of course, was a five-year board veteran of Metrolinx. Golden was an 11-year veteran of the Conference Board of Canada and a policy guru for the Ontario Liberal Party back in the Davis era, when the OLP was led by Hamilton West MPP Dr. Stuart Smith.

The above Star column reworks the expanded findings of TransitPanel's discussion paper Hard Truths About Transit in the Toronto Region.

[Innsertnamehere]

Looks like Hudak wants to cancel the LRT:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/...ticle15113241/

[SteelTown]

Instead he wants to build the Mid-Peninsula Highway.

[coalminecanary]

Originally Posted by SteelTown

Instead he wants to build the Mid-Peninsula Highway.

Whatever's required to keep the road construction companies paying the bills until the current slew of politicians is dead. Future generations be damned!

[ScreamingViking]

Originally Posted by Innsertnamehere

Looks like Hudak wants to cancel the LRT:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/...ticle15113241/

That is an interesting strategy to grow PC representation in all the Liberal and NDP held ridings of the 905 region.

[thistleclub]

The ghost of RT is back:

In his interview with The Globe, Mr. Hudak said he would respect existing LRT contracts, which means he likely would not cancel the under-construction Eglinton line. Contracts have yet to be signed on the province’s other light-rail projects, however. The next LRTs to be built are the Finch line, scheduled to start construction in 2015 and Sheppard, in 2017.

Metrolinx spokeswoman Anne Marie Aikins said the province is considering starting those projects sooner. This would leave Mr. Hudak a very small window in which to win an election before the contracts are in place and cancelling them becomes more expensive.

In Hamilton, where a future LRT could be nixed by Mr. Hudak’s plan, Mayor Bob Bratina said the current plan is to begin with buses and that it would be “likely many years” before ridership warranted light rail.

“The Ministry is well aware that our Rapid Ready transit plan begins with enhanced bus service to grow ridership to ultimately support LRT,” he said in an e-mail. “Our first concern therefore is a funding partnership with the province to set the plan in motion.”

[SteelTown]

*smacks forehead*