Ontario asks for $1.5 billion for Hamilton LRT project oneday before Trudeau announces $15 billion funding plan

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The CANADIAN PRESS

Just one day before Prime Minister Just Trudeau announced billions of dollars for transit projects, Ontario said it needs the federal government to commit $1.5 billion to build a light-rail transit line in Hamilton.

It has been more than a year since the project was cancelled due to the $5.5 billion projected cost.

Transportation Minister Caroline Mulroney says the province remains committed to providing $1 billion in capital funding, but a technical review says that is not enough to cover the cost of a โ€œviableโ€ LRT line, calling it a โ€œfifth-priority transit project.โ€

Last year, a provincially appointed panel issued a report saying the city needs a โ€œhigher orderโ€ transit project to address future growth โ€” either a light-rail line or a bus rapid transit line.

The cancellation of the 14-stop Hamilton LRT project in December 2019 sparked outrage in the city, with local officials calling it a betrayal that would hurt both the municipal and provincial economy.

On Tuesday, Mulroney said it will take all levels of government to build the line.

โ€œEveryone is going to need to pitch in,โ€ she said in a statement.

NDP Leader Andrea Horwath, who represents a Hamilton riding, said the LRT is a priority project, but it needs to move ahead with or without federal funding.

โ€œMaking its future contingent on federal funding is not good enough,โ€ she said.

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