;;

Friday, April 21, 2017

Episode 9 of "As Hamilton Twists and Turns"

In this episode of As Hamilton Twists and Turns, the one dubbed "Heroes and Villains", we find both Mayor Eisenberger and Clr. Terry Whitehead potentially being cast as heroes or villains depending on which side of the LRT fence you are on.

Clr. Whitehead can be cast as the hero for delaying  a key vote that could have seen the end of LRT.  Likewise, the Mayor has a strong claim due to his relentless and heroic efforts in selling the perspective on the value of LRT.  

Conversely, Whitehead could wear the villains mask by, according to some,  being an ongoing thorn in the LRT file, while the Mayor can do the same for, according to some, trying to push a solution that is not right for Hamilton.

Many of the other councillors have figuratively jumped into costumes while a few stragglers are eyeing them. 

To complicate matters further, a poll reveals that 55% of decided respondents are not supportive of LRT, while The Hamiltonian warns of the marginal value of such polls, given where we have been. For her part, The Premier refers to the 1 Billion as designated for transit in Hamilton, adding that she hopes it's LRT. 

In the interim as our heroes and villains clash, our friends at The Hamilton Spectator featured a quite telling front page picture of audience members asleep during the marathon Tuesday meeting that ended in a deferral.

And while LRT's secondary benefits are being touted as something akin to the best thing since sliced bread, former Mayor of Hamilton and current M.P. Bob Bratina submits his thoughts in The Hamiltonian.

Could it get more interesting? Almost certainly. Stay tuned and sharpen your fingernails....

Fade to black with Paul Johnson looking a little tired, turning to Chris Murray; Clr. Whitehead trying on a cape while Mayor Eisenberger opts for Captain America style shield bearing LRT on its face. M.P. Bratina at his keyboard.....


Missed Episode 8? Click here to go there. 

9 comments:

  1. yes, the Mayor is a super-hero, and Terry is his kryptonite.
    For those who continue to insist "it is LRT or nothing"
    Suit yourselves.

    Snidely Whiplash

    ReplyDelete
  2. "For those who continue to insist "it is LRT or nothing""

    Here why if LRT fail is will be nothing.

    Building a plan on investing in mass transit takes
    untold, countless hours of hard work.

    If LRT dies, exactly WHO is going to work and lobby for better transit for Hamilton.

    Sorce?

    jim graham?

    Allan Taylor?

    Well according to several of you LRT is dead.

    So when are you guys organizing the first meeting of grass roots rapid mass transit organizers and volunteers from your communities?

    Charles McGill

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I can help you answer your question Mr. McGill. No it shant be me. That's what we pay people at the hall for.
      Sorce- oakav

      Delete
    2. ...and if they got it right the first time, we wouldn't be in this mess.

      I may switch to sweetener in my Tim's
      Sorce oakav

      Delete
    3. Mr. McGill, have you invested "untold countless hours of hard work" into this plan?
      Is this "your" plan?
      We hold our meetings on orangemikes front porch, first Monday of the month, membership is growing-get their early. Beware the kitty.

      Delete
    4. slippin jimmy graham asks:

      "Mr. McGill, have you invested "untold countless hours of hard work" into this plan?"

      No.

      "Is this "your" plan?"

      Its a great plan. Love it.

      "We hold our meetings on orangemikes front porch, first Monday of the month, membership is growing-get their early. Beware the kitty"

      Is anyone supposed to understand what that means? Its disturbingly nonsensical.

      Charles McGill


      .

      Its the

      Delete
  3. can you squeegee a train? I could easily make more cash stemming from riders at a new stop at Bay and King. Why isn't this considered as economic uplift? I could make more.

    orangemike.

    ReplyDelete
  4. If you want dispute a point I make fine otherwise dont use my name in your fantisies Anonymous Charles

    ReplyDelete
  5. Ministry of Transportation:

    "As announced in May 2015, and further reaffirmed through the 2016 Ontario Budget, the Province has committed up to $1 billion through the Moving Ontario Forward plan for the capital construction costs to build a new LRT line in the City of Hamilton.

    The funding is not allocated specifically to the City of Hamilton but to the LRT project. Investments under the Moving Ontario Forward – Inside the GTHA fund are directed to rapid transit projects that will help improve mobility and manage congestion in the region.

    The Province respects the importance of municipal decision-making to support our transit investments. The Province and Metrolinx continue to work collaboratively with the City of Hamilton to advance work on the project, and to achieve the timelines announced in the 2016 Ontario Budget."

    https://raisethehammer.org/article/3300/province_clarifies_yet_again_that_lrt_funding_is_for_lrt_not_whatever_hamilton_feels_like_this_week

    … and from Minister McMeekin:

    https://twitter.com/SamCraggsCBC/status/856553345187753985

    Verdi

    ReplyDelete

Your comments are welcome. Please abide by the blog's policy on posting. This blog facilitates discussion from all sides of issues. Opposite viewpoints are welcome, provided they are respectful. Name calling is not allowed and any posts that violate the policy, will not be authorized to appear. This blog also reserves the right to exclude comments that are off topic or are otherwise unprofessional. This blog does not assume any liability whatsoever for comments posted. People posting comments or providing information on interviews, do so at their own risk.

This blog believes in freedom of speech and operates in the context of a democratic society, which many have fought and died for.

Views expressed by commentators or in articles that appear here, cannot be assumed to be espoused by The Hamiltonian staff or its publisher.