City will appeal to Metrolinx for help addressing Hamilton’s affordable housing crisis

City council wants Metrolinx to reconsider the planned demolition of 21 now-vacant properties that were purchased to allow for the construction of Hamilton’s light rail transit (LRT) project.

The province’s transportation agency announced last week that it would begin tearing down the former homes and businesses along the east-west corridor, but councillors would like to save and repurpose them as a solution to Hamilton’s affordable housing crisis.

Ward 3 Coun. Nrinder Nann’s motion was approved by city council on Wednesday and mentions the “urgent and pressing housing crisis,” worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Stoney Creek Coun. Brad Clark says it’s worth a try, but probably a long shot, since “Metrolinx’ core business is not affordable housing.”

But Ward 4 Coun. Sam Merulla says it’s a good motion, since “if the LRT isn’t going to happen, we need a secondary plan.”

Doug Ford‘s Conservative government cancelled the LRT project last December after spending $80 million on properties.

Since then, however, the province has created a task force to recommend other options for spending $1 billion that had been dedicated to the project.

That task force has since come back with a recommendation that the provincial government either revisit light rail transit or a bus rapid transit line on the same corridor, raising hope among LRT supporters that the project could be revived.