Comment 118803

By Haveacow (registered) | Posted May 26, 2016 at 10:24:07 in reply to Comment 118795

London Free Press is the source.

This is exactly what happened after Brampton turned down their $400 Million ($387 Million really) for the last 3 km of the Hurontario Line. The line still ends in Brampton but at Steeles Avenue not at Brampton's downtown GO Station. Officially the Province breaks down its funding for these transit projects first as in the GTHA and outside the GTHA. The province is spending roughly $29-30 Billion for both categories.

Unofficially, through a contact of mine inside the "Lets Move Program" over 65 requests came in for Brampton's money from across the province, most but not all were for transit related projects. The problem created by Brampton losing this money, actually showed many hard to ignore realities, few of the projects already in the "Lets Move Project" official project list were ready to be funded. Many are still in the planning stages officially. This was the problem with Brampton's funding there were few ready projects (not already started) that could be built with just $387 Million.

The other issue was Toronto and York Region, at the time, they were the only transit operations inside the GTHA that had projects approved and ready to go. It would not have looked good politically if that money was instantly shoved to them. Especially, when phase 2 projects in both Waterloo and Ottawa both are only missing a single funding component, the province's portion of the funding.

This brings up another thorny issue, both Ottawa's and Waterloo's phase 2 LRT project are being 1/3 funded locally. Its getting harder and harder for the provincial government to give away 100% funding of LRT projects in other cities while these 2 areas are forced into making very tough long range funding choices. All while Brampton's and maybe Hamilton's council, continue to play political games with free provincial rapid transit money.

These political games as I call them, are based on behind the scenes knowledge that I have acquired working in and with the provincial level of government as a consultant. The whole controversy is mainly based on the fact that, its free "Liberal" money. Most of the councilors whom are refusing this free money are Conservatives who want to be well positioned in 2018 when, they believe the Premier's government will most likely be defeated. You would not believe the extreme and mostly homophobic comments of Conservatives when Wynne was elected in 2014. They knew they couldn't state these comments publicly but boy behind the scenes, you would have thought the world was about to end. They were worried that because and I quote, "the huge numbers of all those fucking freaks, who voted that dyke bitch into office may make it almost impossible for a good wholesome conservative government to ever be elected into power again in Ontario". It never occurred to them that the public didn't accept that, there message which was mainly, "no we can't do anything until the budget is balanced in 2018". The fact that, their messages' harsh nasty tone and the way there points were delivered to the public were part of the problem, those points never seem to cross their minds!

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