Skewed Priorities

Now that the Doug Ford government has decided to give Mayor Fred Eisenberger an early Christmas present, in the form of a truncated light rail transit line, that will cost a whopping $600 million per kilometer to build, I’m left wondering how many more times downtown councilors can be fooled into thinking this project won’t cost local taxpayers anything. We all know from past experience that if it looks too good to be true, it probably is.

Mark-Alan Whittle,

Hamilton Mountain

City should forget Uber, focus on others

Hamilton Spectator

                               

With great amusement I watched as local luminaries and taxi industry representatives rattle their sabres over the launch of Uber car hailing services. This kind of affordable transportation option adds another mobility choice for Hamilton residents, who are already served by a heavily subsidized public transportation system, a tiny car-share system that survives on user fees, rentals and a low-interest (four per cent) city line of credit which they have maxed out already. Instead of embracing this innovative service, city bylaw staff will be hunting down Uber drivers to give them a ticket, which isn't worth the paper it's printed on, as Uber has already won in court. Perhaps we should concentrate on real problems, like the hundreds of slumlords, whose properties need to be inspected to ensure they comply. As for the taxi industry, it's time for evolutionary reform that puts the earnings back in the pocket of the drivers who do most of the grunt work. Just like Uber.

 

Mark-Alan Whittle, Hamilton