Local businesses prepare for legal action over LRT construction

Business owners who say they have been impacted by the LRT construction are preparing to take legal action against the Region of Waterloo.

The construction of the upcoming LRT has brought changes in traffic patterns and public transit routes, which local businesses say have negatively impacted them.

• King Street to be closed in uptown Waterloo more than twice as long as planned
• Charles Street LRT construction has businesses feeling the pinch

"There's been what owners believe to be substantial business losses where they are paying more than their fair share for the cost of the work," Shane Rayman, a Toronto-based lawyer representing a number of the businesses, told CBC News.

"They have to suffer the burden of the works and the interference that it's causing."

Negotiate with region first

The owners are now reserving their right to seek compensation from the city by filing legal notice that they may be taking the region to court. 

Before the matter is taken before the OMB, the business owners will try to "negotiate an amicable resolution with the region," said Rayman, but so far "there has been a reluctance to provide a great deal of compensation for business loss."

Construction of the LRT roadwork is set to be complete by the spring or early summer, according to the latest information available from Grandlinq.