Raise the Hammer

Graham,

Thank you for putting this together. The level of support is both impressive and unsurprising. There are many, many people who care for the health, prosperity and future of Hamilton.

I'm probably not the only one thinking this, but let's go out of our way to support these businesses who are speaking up for our future. Too often we only hear from the NIMBY's in Hamilton. Let's reward those who share a city-wide vision to move forward and embrace the future.

Showing my support by eating more donuts is a sacrifice I am willing to make. YOU'RE WELCOME HAMILTON!

So, the total number of Hamilton businesses and community groups officially supporting LRT is up to 168+67=235?

That's great news! Kudos to all these Hamiltonians who are willing to stand up publicly for a $1 billion investment in Hamilton's future.

Still waiting to see a group that's against LRT.

Yes, we do not want to see any businesses fail. But in a free market economy, some businesses will inevitably go bankrupt.

This could be because of changing technology and customer demand. For example, the bankruptcy of Blockbusters. Or it could be because the company’s management makes bad decisions. For example, the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers. Or it could be because the business model is unsustainable. For example, the bankruptcy of General Motors and Chrysler.

But I somehow suspect that even the weakest and shakiest of businesses that goes under during the LRT construction will be blamed on the LRT.

And it will be really hard to tell what role LRT played - would they have gone under anyway?

One question - is there any businesses that went under because of the Concession St. rebuild?

A free market economy? Remind me again of the name of the company that is building the LRT?

I totally understand the support LRT has from various groups who are focused on the positive attributes. I also know these are intelligent people & don't understand why they don't want to hear the answers to some very important questions that have been raised before they give total support?

Maybe because they've looked at it and weighed the pros against the cons, and see it more as this: if the city lobbies the province to provide funding for LRT, the province provides the capital to build what you've lobbied for, then you say that you aren't actually sure you want what you lobbied for, the optics are pretty bad on that. Not to mention, you won't be getting any assistance for any other asks for a generation.

How much is a full-age ad in the Spectator? This is a clear winner for such a thing as the vote gets closer, map included.

or....because the approval by the province for hamiltons request for 100% funding for lrt was the end of a complicated process that was ongoing for over a decade. yes, there are a few important details left and thousands of little details left. but the "meat and potatos" work, routes and tecnologoy and so forth HAS been completed and approved by the city and the provnce as the best scenario. so we dont want to revisit lrt vs brt vs flying cars or main/king corridor vs perimeter ring/spoke service. those important details HAVE been decided, again, after a decade plus of planning and study.

and talk about not getting any assistance for a generation? heres the current situation. we study rapid transit for a decade. make a decision that lrt is best. we submit a request for lrt as best option. the province agrees its the best option. the province approves our request. and we turn it down. how will the province look upon hamitons requests for infrastructure funding in the future then? pretty bleak.

comment from banned user deleted

Or a massive flag to hang at City Hall that is visible from Council Chambers ?

Comment edited by Suburbanite on 2016-06-18 11:22:25

"i get by with a little help from my friends"

"who is this "we" you keep babbling on about?" the "we" that is hamilton. the "we" that worked on a rapid transit solution. the "we" that choose lrt as the premium rapid transit option. the "we" that helped plan and build and design the rapid transit lrt request to the province. the "we" that supports the fully funded lrt. the "we" that will raise and address VALID concerns about the lrt. the "we" that will work to battle fud from anonymous posters and banned rth users and their pet media outlet. the "we" that will ride the lrt.

You need to send some big and tall people to Gilbert's for a discussion real soon. ;-)

Contact the Concession Street BIA and find out

concessionstreet dot ca

A couple of councillors are against it - does that count as a group?

Actually, I said back in the original post, any group other than those Councilors and same 3 businesses that keep getting mentioned. Surely by now after a decade or so? Some other group has formed an organized resistance against this LRT plan. I have worked too long in this industry to believe that there are so few organized groups against the LRT plan. Yet, nothing but a few individuals on this website, a few isolated businesses and a group of Provincial and Federal Conservative Party wanabe's maskquerading as city councilors who frankly, after speaking with them in a professional capacity at City Hall some time ago, come across as really not that bright or at all knowledgeable on city planning issues. I refuse to believe that people in Hamilton, even those I disagree with, are this poorly organized.

Maybe this this site is the wrong vehicle to get this information but wow! All I originally wanted to know was how well thought out the opposition position's and arguments against this LRT project truly are. I don't want to hear from cranks and people who really know nothing at all about transit issues. Frankly to all those who are against this LRT project, the people you have chosen locally to represent your point of view and do most of the public speaking about it, have at best, no or very little knowledge about rapid transit are pathetic at explaining their positions! The positions of those Councilors who seem to be the biggest and only hope at stopping this project have come up with little more than run of the mill anti LRT points that, generally do a poor job of hiding their true anti all transit feelings!

The only "group" are 41 people who have liked facebook NOHAMILTONLRT. Not much to see there though.

ancaster community council supports lrt.

http://www.hamiltonnews.com/news-story/6...

That, by the way, is a public group so anyone can see who the members are. Of those now 50 members, 6 are multiple people in the same family as the admin, and no businesses at all belong to the group.

Good point but as soon as you put a road block on any street ROAD CLOSED, all your marketing techniques are worthless. Not any of the above companies failed because they had NO ACCESS. And the point being made is that this inevitably kills your customer base. Habits change and unless you have access to parking like "Gilbert's" as well as a municipal lot beside them they are in a better position to tread water until the project is finished. Once King is under construction entrances to parking lots are now useless. And yes businesses that do fail on King the ones that rely on customers taking the bus or driving it will be because of the LRT driving by their once destimation stop. Tell me who wants to walk a half a km at best to shop or carry parcels. It's a crazy world we live in when buses have bike racks and pretty soon we will be towing auto's as well. LOL

hmm I guess property owners and landlords don't count. Surprisingly many do not need logos to say no to LRT. I would like to see more comments from businesses that will be aversely affected rather than companies that lose nothing because they are not on King Street. Butcher and Vegan really, you may be a patron to many of these businesses but it does not paint a picture of those who really support an LRT. I am appalled at the outrageous bullying tactics on social media and the personal attacks on businesses and individuals expressing their opinions. We can all agree to disagree but cant we be a little more civil ?