Raise the Hammer

Is LRT a Gold Nugget or Fool's Gold for Wards 1 to 4 property owners. This year, due to increased value assessments some Wards experienced substantial Property Tax increases. If LRT brings all the value of the area around LRT to sky high heights, it's Gold if you are planning to sell & well open your wallets if you are there long term. Yes, sometimes good things can have downsides? Funny, Councillors in Wards 1 to 4 don't talk about this?

and also is redundant

Suck and blow at the same time? Like how Merulla came out again today and said that Ontario transit dollars allocated for Light Rail *Transit* has "nothing to do with transit? I wonder if the Transportation Minister would care to comment?

Putting that aside, bobby2 is pointing out that the project can fail as a transit project but still "succeed" as a development magnet. However, is that how taxpayer dollars should be spent? On projects that only serve to enrich the 1%? Ryan, how do you feel about building stadiums for private sports teams? This is no different. Let developers pay for the projects that allow them to fleece the 99% by increasing rents and displacing small businesses and replacing them with corporations. When Joe's Coffee is kicked out for Starbucks you'll no doubt point to the "success" of the project; most people, on the other hand, will realize we were fleeced. Do not spend taxpayer dollars to enrich developers.

Jim, I have always thought of Raise the Hammer as a forum to express diverse opinions! More & more lately Ryan has decided, especially with LRT issue, that consideration of alternative views is totally wrong as they may cause people to think of downsides along with upsides. It's Ryan's forum & he can react as he wishes. My post, was simply to bring attention to an issue that residents in the area of LRT may not have thought of. LRT may be a good decision for Hamilton but considering all + and -'s seems a reasonable path. Sucking or blowing, Ryan look in a mirror my friend as there may be two people looking back at you? Just an opinion, just like yours:)

I think Ryan may have just scanned your post without reading it fully, because his comment doesn't really make sense in reply. It's uncharacteristic, and maybe I've misread something; but people make mistakes.

In response to your original comment, as a home owner in the lower city I can tell you that municipal taxes have increased very little compared to the insane escalation in property values. It could push people out long term, that's gentrification, but people won't be booted out of their house overnight. And if they can't afford it? We'll, they will be compensated handsomely. Things could be a lot worse.

Comment edited by Dylan on 2017-04-26 20:06:06

The point Ryan was making is that you can't argue on one hand that the project is going to be a failure ( see bobby2's previous posts ) and then turn around and argue that increased tax assessments as a result of the projects success will hurt people. Which is it - a failure or a success?

I've seen a lot of detractors use this 'throw anything and see what sticks' strategy and it needs to be called out.

Regardless, bobby2, feel free to argue your points any time. Just don't fall into what I'd call 'the debate club trap' where you feel that you can never change your position. Personally, when all of this started years ago I was ambivalent towards the LRT and just couldn't understand the passion people had for it. The more I educated myself on the subject, however, the more I could see its merits and understand the importance of not throwing away this rare opportunity.

Ah, so it was also in reaction to comments outside this post. I see.

Hamilton is already gentrifying at a pretty good speed, and that will only accelerate with LRT. A lot of people will be priced out their own neighbourhoods. It's an unfortunate side affect that the city will have to deal with. Though it sounds like they're trying to incorporate subsidized housing in a lot of the new developments along the line.

bobby2 is pointing out that the project can fail as a transit project but still "succeed" as a development magnet.

Yeah, no. Being close to rapid transit is what makes it a development magnet. If it fails as transit it won't attract development.

Every great city-building project will inevitably have some downside for someone somewhere. Building Hamilton's 19th century water system eliminated cholera epidemics, but put private water sellers out of business.

Our present transportation system is causing a cancer epidemic. Currently motor vehicle operators poison and kill an average of 93 people in Hamilton every year. Zero is the only safe dose of their cancer-causing fine particles.

We improved our water system in the 19th century to eliminate cholera, typhus and other water-borne diseases. In the 21st century we can improve our transportation system to save the lives of the 93 people per year who are currently being poisoned and killed by motor vehicle operators.

Comment edited by KevinLove on 2017-04-27 15:50:59

This is the "vision" for Hamilton that people point to when advocating for LRT:

https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2017/05/06/real-estate-boom-threatens-parkdale-rooming-houses.html

LRT supports constantly point to "economic development" and "uplift" and "increased property values" as though they're goals to be worked towards. The sad irony is that these goals always benefit people who are already rich and the poor will be left further behind. If you reject the basic premise that these are goals to be worked towards then why should I accept the solution you're proposing to get us there?

Home ownership in the lower city is around 75%. These owners all stand to benefit a lot from gentrification and most of these people are relatively poor, and they're certainly not rich. Check out the "neighbourhood" tab on MLS listings, it will give you ownership and income numbers. You are referring to the very impoverished which make up a pretty small segment of the population, and there's no reason to believe subsidizes housing cannot be built for them.

Great leaders are people you agree with.

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-o...

Interesting Article.