Today is the first meeting of the expanded LRT sub committee at Hamilton City Hall, and by expanded, we mean the entire city council is now on the committee.
It’s highly unlikely that any consequential decisions will be made at today’s marathon session.
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There will be dozens of delegations, some pro-LRT, some anti-LRT, and a packed gallery will applaud and cheer when the speakers repeat the often-used talking points to support their points of view on the issue.
It may be good political theatre, but it’s not moving us any closer to a consensus on the future of transit in Hamilton.
City staff would like to get approval to send the draft plan to the province to begin environmental assessments, but the councilors I’ve talked to don’t seem comfortable doing that until they have answers to the lingering questions about the project.
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Simply put, we seem to be at a stalemate and the question is, how do we solve it ?
In the bad, old days of the debate over a new stadium, the frustrated provincial government finally gave the city a final offer and deadline to make a decision and basically told the city to put up or shut up.
It may take that kind of political tough love from this provincial government to get this city council to commit one way or another to the LRT.