1. Recently Clr. Green announced that he would be bringing forth a motion to council, to suggest that HSR be deemed the operator/maintainer of the LRT system in Hamilton, should it proceed. Given that the suggestion is coming a little late in the process, how are you receiving it? Do you see it as more of a symbolic gesture or do you see it as meaningful?
We believe strongly that public transit is a public service and that it should remain under public control. As the HSR is the public transit system here in Hamilton, it makes absolutely no sense to privatize LRT and have two systems. Our members can easily be retrained to operate and maintain LRT, so there really is no valid reason why HSR should not be running the new LRT system in Hamilton. In regards to the issue of timing we believe that during the operating agreement discussions is the best time to negotiate the best agreement for our transit system. Atu has been very vocal in our communications with Metro-linx and the Province both publicly and privately that the 3ps process is not acceptable in Hamilton so it should have been understood that we will be seeking a Hamilton solution.
2. Are you convinced that you have the necessary support to have your members treated fairly in this matter, or are you of the view that there is a significant struggle still ahead?
We are convinced that keeping transit public is the right thing to do. And we’re convinced that privatization of the LRT will not produce the kind of robust and accountable transit system that all Hamiltonians deserve. We believe that the public is on our side on this matter - we’ve seen how the privatization of hydro went. Our rates went up and we’re still holding the bag for the debt.
I am hopeful that our City council will stand with us to ensure our members, passengers and community are treated fairly.
3. Is there anything else you’d like our readers to know about your local ATU’s views on LRT in Hamilton, at this juncture?
Our goal is to ensure that we keep transit public in Hamilton and that the highest standards are maintained.
That is why we have launch our keeptransitpublic.ca campaign and are asking Hamiltonians to sign our petition.
We support the best possible future of transit in this city and know that our whole city would benefit from a successful Public Transit System.
We want the best LRT possible and believe that Hamiltonians deserve nothing less.
Public operation and maintenance will contribute to a better overall transit experience for riders and workers alike.
Thanks Eric for engaging with Hamiltonians via The Hamiltonian. To see Mr. Tuck's previous chat with us, click here.
