Raise the Hammer

LRT advocates, including Ryan, tout intensification and development as core benefits of LRT. That means that people like Darko Vranich get to build taller buildings and develop parking lots and old store fronts into condos. This is straight from the pro-LRT crowd. But what does that mean? It means more people, more Torontoians, more money, higher rents. My rent is already sky high and going higher because of the new demand. You talk about affordable housing but more development and intensification leads to gentrification. Ryan himself posted Darko's letter begging for the LRT to be built. Why does a property developer want the LRT unless he sees dollar signs? Sixty thousand Hamiltonians are on social assistance. Hydro rates and rents are rising daily. And the 1% want more, more, more and the LRT allows them to charge higher rents.

Unless you think Darko has the people's interests at heart. Read his letter where he's concerned he might miss out on "more development opportunities." How does that help Hamilton's poor afford to live in their own City? He doesn't care. Ryan doesn't care. It's all about money and greed and higher office towers. I'm not interested in the argument that LRT allows more development. In fact, that's a strike against it. I saw some graffitti the other day that pointed out how evil developers are. But pro-LRTers are holding them up like paragons of virtue. It's a confusing world out there. The left have turned hard right. Read Darko's letter. I urge you. He literally says it will "raise property values." Do you see the problem here? Darko benefits from higher property values. The people don't. Soon I may be forced to move out of my own home town because of higher property values. That's gentrification. This is happening. Today.

By the way, we have public transit. Today. And the current B-Line provides better service than the proposed LRT because it makes more stops and goes all the way to Eastgate. So why are you making it sound like public transit doesn't even exist in Hamilton? Better yet, it's Hamilton-owned and operated.

https://www.raisethehammer.org/article/2980/vranich:_light_rail_uncertainty_extremely_concerning_to_developers

Comment edited by JimC on 2017-04-05 20:42:03