Bill Kelly: Doug Ford’s LRT promise a tough one to keep

Let’s not get too excited about Doug Ford’s promise to give Hamilton $1.3 billion whether we want LRT or not.

Ford made the statement the other day on a campaign stop in Hamilton, to the cheers of the partisan crowd, but delivering on that promise is fraught with numerous challenges.

First of all, Ford would have to win the election in June and Hamilton voters would have to elect people to city council who are opposed to LRT and since incumbents are almost always re-elected, the chance of a wholesale change on council is improbable.

More importantly, Ford’s promise underscores his lack of understanding of how government works.

No government, federal or provincial, gives any city $1 billion because they simply don’t have that kind of money sitting in a vault at Queen’s Park.

Besides, if  Ford were to make the billion-dollar promise to Hamilton a priority, he’d have every other Ontario city clamouring for the same kind of deal.

It’s another example of a politician telling people what they want to hear instead of what they need to hear.

But what Ford’s claim has done is rekindled the polarizing debate about LRT and you can be sure that this year’s municipal election will be a de facto referendum that will decide the LRT issue once and for all.

Bill Kelly is the host of Bill Kelly Show on AM 900 CHML and a commentator for Global News