Hello Ward 8 Neighbours,
Minister of Transportation Caroline Mulroney recently announced the naming of the Hamilton Transportation Task Force.
The Task Force will provide recommendations to the government on how the $1 billion dollars originally slated for LRT development will be used after the cancellation of the project by Minister Mulroney.
For more details, please continue reading below…
The provincially appointed Task Force is composed of four representatives from the Hamilton region and a representative of the City of Hamilton. The five members are:
Tony Valeri (Chair) – Vice President, Corporate Affairs at ArcelorMittal Dofasco, former federal Liberal Minister of Transport and former Member of Parliament.
Richard J. Brennan – Journalist who reported on politics including Queen’s Park and Parliament Hill for over 40 years.
Anthony V. Primerano – Director of Government Relations for the Labourers International Union of North America (LiUNA).
Dr. Saiedeh Razavi – Director of the McMaster Institute for Transportation and Logistics (MITL), Associate Professor at the Department of Civil Engineering, and the Chair in Heavy Construction at McMaster University.
Janette Smith – City Manager at the City of Hamilton and former Commissioner of Public Works and Commissioner of Health Services at the Region of Peel.
The “Super Fun Happy Time Transportation Task Force” is not nearly as funny as the @OntarioPCParty‘s own bills – such as the “Making Ontario Open for Business Act” or the “Restoring Trust, Transparency and Accountability Act” https://t.co/7L7GSyCuOw
— John-Paul Danko (@JohnPaulDanko) February 6, 2020
At the February 5 General Issues Committee meeting, councillors put forward a motion to receive assurances from the province that no portion of the $1 billion originally slated for the LRT project will not be redistributed for construction projects on provincial highways or other provincial transportation responsibilities, such as GO Transit. The motion was passed.
Among the councillors to voice their concern that municipally promised money would go to local provincial projects was Ward 8 Councillor John-Paul Danko:
All day @GOtransit & highway expansions are PROVINCIAL projects that #Ward8Hamilton residents would love @C_Mulroney to deliver🚉🛣 But not with funds dedicated to #HamOnt transportation & growth. Council officially told the “task force” PROVINCIAL projects are off the table. pic.twitter.com/qr36cF6vH6
— John-Paul Danko (@JohnPaulDanko) February 6, 2020
Hunter Street @GOtransit. All #HamOnt would love @C_Mulroney to actually deliver all day GO – but 73% of #Ward8Hamilton residents work in Hamilton. We will not accept $3.7B dedicated to Hamilton #yesLRT being redirected to fund provincial responsibilities. pic.twitter.com/1MVxrDRpPp
— John-Paul Danko (@JohnPaulDanko) February 9, 2020
The motion approved by council also added the “greening” of Hamilton’s transit fleet as well as electric vehicle charging stations to Hamilton’s list of ideas that it believes the transportation task force should consider funding from the $1 billion commitment. The Task Force is slated to present a list of options to the Minister by the end of February.
Questions or concerns?
If you have any questions or concerns, you can contact our office here.