Raise the Hammer

Maybe it shouldn't have gone grey, but I imagine many people think (perhaps unfairly) that your comment was concern trolling.

Referenda are extremely rare in Canada (unlike Switzerland or some US states) and are typically used only for constitutional changes or in BC for tax issues (when the government doesn't really want the tax). I've lived in Hamilton for 16 years and there has never been a referendum on another major infrastructure issue (or any other issue). Similarly, there has only been one referendum at the Provincial level (on changing the voting system).

LRT was a major issue in the last two Mayoral elections, and in both cases candidates who campaigned on a platform to build LRT won.

Similarly, LRT was a major issue in the Provincial election and the candidates who campaigned on a platform of opposing LRT lost. The Liberals campaigned on the the Big Move and a massive investment in infrastructure, and they won as well.

LRT for Hamilton has been officially supported by multiple Council votes since 2008 and was originally promised by the Provincial Liberals in 2007.

There was extensive consultation in the period 2008-2011 which showed massive support for LRT (over 80%) among those who participated.

We didn't have a referendum on building the RHVP or the Linc.

We didn't have a referendum on selling off Horizon Utilities.

We didn't have a referendum on the stadium location.

We didn't have a referendum on spending $75 million on the Clappison's corners freeway interchange.

We didn't have a referendum on the highway 6 by-pass, or the road widening in Waterdown.

We didn't have a referendum on whether to spend $1 billion over ten years on our roads.

We didn't have a referendum on whether to build the 407.

We didn't have a referendum on whether to approve the aerotropolis.

You get the picture: we don't have referendums on major infrastructure spending or plans! Why should LRT be any different?

And it is arguable whether referenda are more democratic than representative democracy where elections are fought on the issues. In general, most referenda fail and are generally a poll of how happy people are rather than on the actual issue at hand.

If we had a tradition of referenda, or if this were the beginning of the process (rather than the final planning and implementation stage) and there were ample time for pro/anti groups to campaign and inform the public there might be a case for a referendum.

But to claim now that we call a snap referendum, after multiple elections where LRT was a major issue, after massive public consultation and nine years of planning smacks of sour grapes desperation.

This is especially true as it is the Province paying for, building and operating the system from a fund that can only be spent on this sort of big public transit project!

Comment edited by kevlahan on 2016-05-05 08:47:09