Waterloo Region's rapid transit system is back in the spotlight, thanks to an impending motion from one of its most prominent opponents and a petition from a Waterloo business owner.
Mayor Doug Craig gave notice of his motion Wednesday, calling on the region to not spend the $5.5 million it plans to put into a rapid transit reserve fund next year.
Instead, Craig wants that money to go to programs that would otherwise be on the chopping block as the region looks to trim $5 million from its budget.
“You can save money there and either shorten the route or look at other savings,” he says.
“If in fact we’re in difficult economic times, then everything is on the table.”
Craig says he doesn’t intend to scrap the project entirely, but other regional councillors contend that adopting Craig’s suggestion would put the region back in the same financial straits before long.
“I think that some of the things Mayor Craig says have some merit to discuss – however the general direction he is taking, I would not be able to support,” Kitchener Mayor Carl Zehr tells CTV News.
“The approach that has been suggested is short-term pain for much greater pain next year.”
Craig has his own idea for how to deal with that “greater pain” – eliminating 35 regional staff positions through attrition.
Coun. Jim Wideman says it would be “irresponsible” for the region not to take a year off from putting money toward rapid transit – particularly if doing so is an attempt to build momentum for derailing the project entirely.
“People have to understand that to stop it now would cost Waterloo Region a great deal of money,” he says.
“If you reduce the scope of the LRT project, we would have to build more roads with 100 per cent our money. It wouldn’t save us any money.”
However, Wideman did suggest the 1.5 per cent tax increase for rapid transit could be lowered to 1.25 per cent for 2014.
Craig says he’s afraid if rapid transit spending isn’t halted, regional councillors will instead seek to balance their budget by cutting benefits to low-income citizens.
Waterloo Mayor Brenda Halloran says she shares that concern.
“I’m really taken by many of the facts that Mayor Craig has brought forward,” she says.
“We need to look at different ways of doing the budget. We need to prioritize our families.”
Meanwhile, Jay Aissa – owner of a Waterloo-based fencing company – has launched a website (stoplightrail.ca) and petition calling for the whole project to be scrapped.
“(LRT) was a great idea four of five years ago when BlackBerry was booming and we had lots of people coming in,” he tells CTV News.
“Right now, we’re losing lots of jobs – how are you going to justify losing that much money?”
Aissa says he’s received more than 60 signatures on his petition since launching it last week.
Craig’s motion will be voted on next week at a meeting of Waterloo Region’s budget committee.
