Special Report: Light Rail

How Councillors Have Voted on Light Rail Transit

Vote breakdown on all major LRT votes since 2011 vote asking for confirmation of Provincial funding.

By Ryan McGreal
Published May 24, 2016

Here is a breakdown on all the major Council votes on light rail transit (LRT) since the September 2011 motion by former Ward 9 Councillor Brad Clark requesting confirmation of Provincial funding for Hamilton's LRT system.

Request for Confirmation of LRT Commitment from the Province

Motion from former Ward 9 Councillor Brad Clark to request confirmation from the Province of full funding for LRT.

Link

Conventional, Rapid and Inter-Regional Transit: Technical, Financial and Land Use Considerations (CM11016/PW11064/PED11154/FCS11072)

Motion to reaffirm the City's commitment to modernizing public transit including LRT and GO transit, complete the Nodes and Corridors land use study for the LRT route, complete necessary works with Metrolinx so the Province can make a funding decision, and ask Metrolinx for capital funding for articulated buses to address capacity shortfalls on the rapid transit lines.

Link

Rapid Ready - Expanding Mobility Choices in Hamilton (PW13014)

Final staff report outlining plan for an LRT system and integrated city-wide transit system.

Link

Re-Affirmation of Council’s Position respecting Rapid Transit with Light Rail Transit (LRT) in the Eastgate to McMaster corridor as the Preferred Option (Report PW08043D)

In response to former Mayor Bratina's claim that the Rapid Ready LRT plan was not an LRT plan, Council reaffirmed its understanding that the LRT plan was a plan to implement LRT with full capital funding from the Province.

Link

Implementation of the Action Plan contained on Pages 43 and 44 of the Rapid Ready Report

Motion to commit to implementing the LRT action plan identified in the Rapid Ready report to prepare for LRT.

Link

Append Metrolinx Submission to include Ten Year Transit Strategy

Motion to add a $300 million capital request for local transit improvements to the LRT capital request. The Province agreed to fund LRT but not local transit, noting that it is a municipal responsibility and the City already gets a federal and provincial gas tax transfer to go toward transit.

Link

Fostering the Light Rail Transit (LRT) Project (CM15014)

After the Provincial funding announcement, Council approved a motion to create a Light Rail Transit office to work with Metrolinx and the community on building LRT, retain transportation consultant Steer Davies Gleave to help with design and environmental assessment, establish a Light Rail Transit Sub-Committee to oversee the office and report to Council, and develop a Memorandum of Agreement with Metrolinx to clarify respective roles and responsibilities.

Link (Item 7.2)

Interim Control By-laws - Certain Lands along Main Street West, King Street West/East, Queenston Road, James Street North Light Rapid Transit (LRT) Corridor (PED15157)

Motion to temporarily freeze new developments along the LRT corridor to give the City time to develop a new land use plan that supports LRT success.

Link (Item 8.3)

Memorandum of Agreement with Metrolinx

This is the agreement with Metrolinx defining the respective roles and responsibilities of the City and Metrolinx in their collaboration on designing and building LRT. Metrolinx owns the project and has the final say, and the City's role is to support Metrolinx with supportive land use and transportation policy and streamlined approvals.

Link (Item 8.10)

Light Rail Transit (LRT) Office and Administration Budget (PED16073)

Approving a budget and dedicated staffing and support positions for the LRT office.

Link (Item 8.5)


Please take a few moments to tell Council to take YES for an answer, reaffirm its support for LRT and accept the full capital funding from the Province that Council has consistently voted for since 2008.

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 Skellytons (anonymous) | Posted May 26, 2016 at 08:37:14

How can Donna vote to support spending money on a LRT office, but not on the LRT system itself?

Donna makes no sense.

Donna is scary.

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