'Brampton is rooting for you' — 1 Brampton councillor's take on Hamilton's LRT debate

Gurpreet Dhillon is councillor for Wards 9  & 10 in Brampton 

Hamilton, Brampton is rooting for you. 

Two years ago we were in a similar position as you, and our Council decided to stop our LRT short of our downtown, thus giving back $200 million to the province. 

Our council at the time said it was not the best route for Brampton, disagreeing with nearly 75% of our residents who thought otherwise. 

We heard many excuses: business in the downtown core would suffer as a result of construction, heritage properties would be effected, there was not enough ridership, or that job growth numbers were exaggerated.

Interesting remarks for a downtown that has 20+ empty shops, and a city whose reputation has become synonymous for being a 'bedroom city'.

Meanwhile, Mississauga, our neighbour to the south, is expecting an additional 9 million square feet of office tower development in and around its city centre from its LRT project. 

And, it's no coincidence there has been keen interest from other cities in Brampton's rejected money which has now been sent back to the province.- Gurpreet Dhillon

• Brampton city council votes down LRT line

• COMING UP - LRT: Hamilton city council expected to (finally) cast crucial vote

Fast forward to now, my Council colleagues recently voted to spend over $4 million (from an emergency fund) to study two alternative LRT routes that had already been rejected for good reasons in the transit planning process.

Add to that the studies will take until 2020, which is three years of nothing. No construction. No shovels in the ground. No progress.

Even if a future Brampton Council does pick an LRT route in 2020, it will be at least 8-10 years after that before it's constructed, and we will have no guarantees it's going to be funded at the same level the LRT was originally offered, which was 100 percent.

• Hamilton seems poised to reject $1B, and it's 'a kick in the groin'

Other regions interested in Brampton's LRT money

And, it's no coincidence there has been keen interest from other cities in Brampton's rejected money which has now been sent back to the province. There are many EA completed projects outside of Brampton that the money could, and will, likely be spent on.

The GTHA is an extremely competitive region. I don't foresee the Mayor of Oakville sitting back and waiting for Brampton to get its act together in 2020, or Hamilton if it says no to LRT.

I also don't see Waterloo Region waiting for Brampton and Hamilton when their Phase Two LRT study is almost done and ready for funding. And, I don't see Toronto waiting around for the $220 million they require for the Scarborough Subway Extension.

The reality is, infrastructure and transit take a long time to plan and build. The process that led up to the LRT recommendation in Brampton took almost 10 years.

• Hamilton councillors debate LRT for 13 hours, then delay approving major changes

And now, waiting another 10 years might not seem like a long time to my Council colleagues, or to some on Hamilton Council, but opportunities are only available for so long. The Provincial and Federal governments, due to elections, only have limited windows which they can come to the table with money.

I certainly cannot advise Hamilton what to do. But, as the son of an old Westinghouse plant employee, and the brother of siblings who were born up at St. Joe's hospital, I want to see Hamilton do well.

Your city has waited so long, and been through so much — I wish you all the best.