One of Hamilton City Council’s most vocal light rail transit supporters is predicting the demise of the project.
Ward 4 Coun. Sam Merulla is convinced that “a gang of 10”, referring to a group of his colleagues, will be responsible for the loss of a $1-billion provincial investment in infrastructure across the lower city, from McMaster University to the Queenston Traffic Circle.
Merulla says project opponents are playing a game of “delay, delay, delay” in hopes that the province will eventually “pull the plug on this.”
He adds that it will be “a true betrayal to the people of this city if this project goes awry, which I believe it will.”
His comments come one day after city councillors met for 13 hours on issues related to the LRT, tabling an updated environmental assessment that must receive provincial approval before the city can sign a master agreement with Metrolinx, the agency created by the province to improve co-ordination and integration of public transportation in the Hamilton and Toronto areas.
The issue will be revisited on April 19.