Light Rail

Ottawa Interested in Transit: Mayor

By Ryan McGreal
Published April 15, 2008

Mayor Fred Eisenberger is in Ottawa today, talking to various federal ministers about issues related to Hamilton, from streamlining immigration processes to deal with skills shortage issues to federal funding for municipal police officers.

In particular, Eisenberger discussed funding for transit improvements. The Provincial funding plan for rapid transit improvements through Metrolinx depends in part on federal contributions, and the Mayor wants to be sure that the federal government will deliver.

In a phone call with Raise the Hammer, the Mayor said the federal government is "very interested in seeing plans" so the feds can assess them based on projected ridership and long-term operating costs. They're following Hamilton's public debate over whether to adopt light rail transit (LRT) or bus rapid transit (BRT) and are "keen on knowing how we end up".

If Hamilton can quickly finalize its transit improvement plans, that will accelerate the federal review so that money can flow through the framework agreements of the province.

"Difference of Opinion" Over Operating Costs

Eisenberger called the meeting "a positive step" from Hamilton's perspective, but he pointed out that while the federal government has thresholds for evaluating ridership and operating costs, they did not share those thresholds with him.

He also noted a "difference of opinion" with the government over long-term operating costs - the feds think LRT is higher than BRT - though he maintained that the government is "open to either one, as long as there's affordability and ridership associated" with Hamilton's choice.

In the light of the controversy over Minister John Baird allegedly interfering with Ottawa's light rail transit plans, RTH asked the Mayor if he is concerned about politics getting in the way of policy.

He responded that he doesn't expect that to happen in Hamilton. "The decision will be based on the rationale fo the case rather than a personal preference."

Ottawa "Pleased to see" Mayor

Eisenberger also talked to the ministries of immigration and citizenship, agriculture, and public safety about federal initiatives that will benefit Hamilton, including a proposal to offer hog farmers a "soft landing" if they want to get out of the business, federal funding for new police officers that would pass through the province, and an immigration strategy that will address the shortage of skilled workers.

Eisengerger said the federal government was "pleased to see a mayor coming to Ottawa to talk about municipal issues. The more we can work with them, the better we will be."

Apparently it's "not common practice, other than Vancouver and Toronto" for mayors to meet directly with the federal government.

Eisenberger concluded, "Hamilton is significant enough that we need to make our presence known."

Ryan McGreal, the editor of Raise the Hammer, lives in Hamilton with his family and works as a programmer, writer and consultant. Ryan volunteers with Hamilton Light Rail, a citizen group dedicated to bringing light rail transit to Hamilton. Ryan wrote a city affairs column in Hamilton Magazine, and several of his articles have been published in the Hamilton Spectator. His articles have also been published in The Walrus, HuffPost and Behind the Numbers. He maintains a personal website, has been known to share passing thoughts on Twitter and Facebook, and posts the occasional cat photo on Instagram.

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By nobrainer (registered) | Posted April 16, 2008 at 09:55:54

They have standards but don't want to share them, they think brt is cheaper to operate than lrt, and they're embroiled in a controversy over political intereference with lrt in ottawa - is anyone else nervous about whether we can count on the Feds to do the right thing here?

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