Electric Hyundai Page buses all 21 Venue around Page Page 23 3 Guest Of Honour AUGUST, 2020 WWW.BAYOBSERVER.CA VOL. 13, N0. 8 WorshipingWorshiping duringduring COVIDCOVID Roman Catholic masses have resumed in the Diocese of Hamilton with strict regulations in force because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Members of the same family are allowed to sit together, but others must sit only in every other pew and everybody attending must wear a mask. Cathedral Basilica of Christ the King Rector Father Dave Wynen is celebrating the Mass. Photo by DENIS GIBBONS emissions drastically and will be a legacy transportation project for our city. Fact Check: The Ontario Auditor General found that inadequate study had been Fact Checking claims on LRT done in comparing the benefits of LRT vs BY JOHN BEST THE BAY OBSERVER Bus Rapid Transit. Wrote the Auditor Gen- earlier in the day where he said he was un- LRT on the B-Line or BRT on the B- and eral: We found that, despite the fact that Friday Mayor Fred Eisenberger issued a willing to see Hamilton taxpayers saddled A-Lines (with additional complementary the draft analyses clearly showed the need statement in response to the release of a with an estimated $1 Billion operating and priority bus projects as part of the BLAST to further review whether it is appropriate redacted report by a consulting firm that maintenance cost. network). The Task Force recommends that to proceed with the LRT option for three had been hired by the Ford Government to Following are portions of the Mayor’s the Province and Metrolinx consider both of the four projects (Hamilton bring one of cost out Hamilton’s proposed LRT project. statement, along with some fact checking of these projects equally and undertake the three), Metrolinx took no action to ad- Last December the government said the notes. further analysis concurrently to determine dress the results of its analysis. Metrolinx report had pegged the cost of the project at Eisenberger Statement: Earlier this year, which project is the best fit for Hamilton’s did not act on its findings to then critically $5.5 Billion and because of the high costs the Province’s citizen-appointed Hamilton transportation needs. assess whether it was planning and build- the government scrapped the project. Transportation Task Force recommended Eisenberger statement: The LRT project ing the transit projects that would best The redacted report contained numbers Hamilton’s Light Rail Transit (LRT) project is the most-studied transit project in our serve the region. lower than $5.5 Billion but higher than the as the number one transit recommendation city’s history, and we are now turning our Eisenberger Statement: The Third Party $1 Billion that had been the original cost for the City of Hamilton. minds to restarting our economy. The LRT report recently obtained by local media estimate. The Mayor’s statement also ad- Fact Check: The Task Force Report read: will create thousands of jobs, economic dressed comments by Premier Doug Ford This (Transit project) could either be an uplift, increase affordable housing, cut CO2 Continued on page 2 2 AUGUST, 2020 NEWS LRT » P 1 did not estimate potential would take a year or more. property tax revenue and More importantly, the distorts the numbers of development charges. We only funding on the table Hamilton’s LRT project. It are unaware of any report is the $1 Billion the Ford is dishonest to suggest that to Council containing Government has promised. costs had escalated by more such estimates, other than The federal government’s than five times the original anecdotal claims of “eco- transit cost-sharing plans forecast when the Province nomic uplift.” Additionally, that were used to finance cancelled the project in there was no study done the Ottawa and Waterloo December 2019. to compare such potential LRT’s required a munic- Fact Check: In his state- revenue increases between ipal contribution, some- ment Friday, Premier Ford LRT and BRT. thing Hamilton Council doubled down on the $5.5 Eisenberger Statement: has consistently rejected. Billion figure. What we can As indicated by the Federal We contacted Infrastruc- see of the redacted report government and Hamilton ture Minister Catherine does show numbers lower MPPs, the LRT is the best, McKenna’s office to learn than $5.5 Billion. It’s not shovel-ready infrastruc- if there are any special clear if the intention is to ture project for the City of funds available that could add three sets of numbers Hamilton. I look forward to support LRT in Hamilton. together. There are dozens working with Premier Ford The response was that of pages completely redact- and his ministers to get this there “is up to $1 billion ed so it is not possible to project back on track. in funding will be shared determine the full sub- Fact Check: The MPPs equally between the federal stance of the report. What mentioned as favouring government and Ontario is clear is that the cost is the project are the three to address public transit well in excess of $1 Billion. NDP MPPs in whose shortfalls.” Presumably that Eisenberger statement: ridings the LRT would be $1 Billion would have to be The City of Hamilton was located. Hamilton’s only shared with several Ontario always responsible for government MPP, Donna Municipalities and at the day-to-day operating costs Skelly, has opposed the end of the day Premier Ford of the LRT. The annual LRT project since her time would have the final say. costs were to be offset by on Hamilton City Coun- His comments yesterday increased property tax cil. As for “shovel-ready”, suggest that capital funding revenue from new devel- Metrolinx has cancelled aside, he has serious reser- opments and development the project completely. The vations about the operating The LRT task force suggested that the province consider construction of the A and B line charges. process would have to be and maintenance cost of LRT coupled with the rollout of the BLAST network as an option to be given equal weight to Fact Check: Metrolinx re-started. Re-tendering the project. LRT Ford says Hamilton LRT would result in taxes rising “drastically” Premier Doug Ford system that would “saddle and maintenance tax bill cost of Hamilton LRT even Billion, should Hamilton for them. If the $1 Billion indicated Friday that he the taxpayers of Hamil- over the next 30 years. He though a redacted report LRT be allowed to proceed. figure in the Turner and has serious reservations ton,” as he put it, with a doubled down on the $5.5 obtained by the NDP and Ford’s response left little Townsend report is accu- about building an LRT Billion dollar operating Billion estimate of the total the Spectator suggested doubt where he stood. “It rate, and it has not been otherwise. The Specta- was the NDP and the Liber- challenged to date, it would tor and NDP released a als that didn’t give two hoots work out to about $30 heavily-redacted version about the taxpayers in Ham- Million per year in addi- of the report prepared by ilton that wanted to ram this tional taxes over 30 years. the consulting firm Turner (LRT) through…there’s a Currently the HSR is subsi- and Townsend that had billion dollars in operating dized to the tune of about originally pegged the cost costs. I’m not prepared to $43 Million per year. The of the project at $5.5 Billion put the burden of the tax on Premier said the report by –a number that included the back of the taxpayers of the LRT task force that was operating and mainte- Hamilton. The easy way out completed last winter is be- nance costs and borrowing is the NDP-Liberal approach ing reviewed by Transport costs. The redacted report to just say, “tax the pants Minister Caroline Mulroney suggests a capital costs of off these people.” We had and her staff, but he did $2.3 Billion in 2019 dollars. experts go in there and it not say when a decision on The one area where the (cost of LRT) is $5.5 Billion that report will be released. two versions do agree is in dollars—unequivocal.” He The report recommended the operating and Mainte- added, “I guess it is up to consideration of LRT or nance costs, both versions the mayor to ask the people Bus Rapid Transit as well pegging it at about $1 of Hamilton ‘do you want as upgraded GO service. Billion; and it was that cost your taxes to go up—not a The report recommended that Premier Doug Ford little bit either—drastically the three options be given seized upon in answering a go up.” equal consideration. The question by CHCH reporter Several members of premier’s remarks today Randy Rath. Rath asked the Hamilton City Council have seemed to indicate his clear Premier that, given the new warned that the operating concern about the operat- numbers which appeared and maintenance costs ing and maintenance costs to be lower than the $5.5 could be a deal breaker of a Hamilton LRT. ROYAL HAMILTON DARTS REQUIRES $800,000 TOP UP YACHT CLUB www.rhyc.ca As a social member you can treat your clients and friends to lunch, dinner or drinks with a spectacular view of the Bay at our elegant club and patio. You don’t have to be a boater to enjoy the benefi ts of membership. For a visit call (905) 528-8464 or email [email protected] Established 1888 DARTS transit provided an extra 57,000 rides in 2019 over forecast demand that has resulted in a budget shortfall of more than $795,000.Under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) Transportation legislation Transit providers cannot limit availability to service by restricting the number of trips a person is able to request.