The Public Record | Hamilton's Civic Affairs News Site (https://www.thepublicrecord.ca/topics/hamilton-light-rail-transit/)
Joey Coleman/The Public Record
Ontario Minister of Transportation Jeff Yurek taking media questions with Hamilton Mayor Fred Eisenberger following their meeting on March 28, 2019 at Hamilton City Hall.
Ontario’s Minister of Transportation Jeff Yurek says Hamilton’s LRT project is a go within its existing $1-billion dollar Provincial funding commitment.
Province has lifted the freeze on land acquisitions, and the RFP is moving forward.
Norton’s comments came in response to questions about why the City’s Economic Development Division is requesting that Downtown Hamilton development charge exceptions should remain in place.
Hamilton’s LRT project is facing many new road blocks as City Hall mismanagement of the HSR, and Hamilton’s rising rental costs are combining to build new opposition to the project. Was Andrea Horwath reflecting this in her LRT comments last week?
Province says HSR can run LRT, but strongly warns Council against HSR taking over the project.
Special Council meeting on Friday to debate.
As for what the vote means to the LRT project both timelines and risks; it is not yet clear. Andrew Hope, the project lead for Metrolinx, says he needs to go back to consult with the Province as to how to proceed, and that at the least, this will delay the project a few weeks.
Hamilton City Council returns from three weeks of vacation today for a special meeting on the Light Rail Transit project. The Public Record is liveblogging from the meeting.
Members of ACPD told staff that Unipaving is not an acceptable substitute.
“Urban Braille along the entire corridor is essential,” said member Tim Nolan to reflect “that people with disabilities can be anywhere and everywhere”.
“Unipavers provide zero accessibility, period, zero”, Nolan said. “If were going to substitute urban braille or other kinds of textured accessibility for the sake of unipavers, not a good idea. The are not going to provide any utility”.
Hamilton City Council meets to, once again maybe, decide on the amended Environmental Assessment for the Hamilton B-Line LRT project.
Live video starts at 9:30am
City Council’s Light Rail Transit Sub-Committee meet on Monday to receive staff updates and debate a request to add a LRT stop at Bay Street. The Committee voted to add the stop, which now has to be considered by Metrolinx. Metrolinx has the final say.
Hamilton City Council conducts its regular meeting tonight to ratify both the committee work of the past two weeks, but also to ratify the results of its longest-ever meeting on October 25 when they spent 12 hours debating LRT. Following regular business, there are two motions on the table: A Skelly motion to withdrawal her request for “exit ramps” during the West Harbour real estate sale process, and a motion from Partridge to reconsider and disband the LRT sub-committee.
Live video starts at 5pm.