[Midtown Urbanist]

Link to the livestream of the debate here.

Interesting that the only candidate that spoke up against the lunacy of HSR in southern Ontario was the Green candidate.

Also I think that Tim Grant is the first time I heard an Ontario politician mention a Land Value Tax.

Overall, I was impressed with how knowledgeable all the candidates were on the transportation file.

 

[narduch]

I still say that if we really want to do HSR we should start with Toronto to Montreal/Ottawa. But that isn't sexy enough when trying to woo southern Ontario voters.

 

[aquateam]

Interesting that the only candidate that spoke up against the lunacy of HSR in southern Ontario was the Green candidate.

Also I think that Tim Grant is the first time I heard an Ontario politician mention a Land Value Tax.

Overall, I was impressed with how knowledgeable all the candidates were on the transportation file.

I had always disliked the greens because I'm pro-nuclear and very much against the idea of provincial funding for alternative medicine. But hearing the green candidate talk about a Land Value Tax, and about requiring municipalities to plan for density around transit, really made me reconsider my opposition.

A Land Value Tax is an economically efficient method of taxation that targets speculators and owners of large parking lots. It results in more efficient uses of land, reduces blight, eliminates urban crators, and results in an overall more liveable city.

If all the green party promises is to implement a Land Value Tax, they would have my vote... if I could still vote in Ontario.

 

[Midtown Urbanist]

I had always disliked the greens because I'm pro-nuclear and very much against the idea of provincial funding for alternative medicine. But hearing the green candidate talk about a Land Value Tax, and about requiring municipalities to plan for density around transit, really made me reconsider my opposition.

A Land Value Tax is an economically efficient method of taxation that targets speculators and owners of large parking lots. It results in more efficient uses of land, reduces blight, eliminates urban crators, and results in an overall more liveable city.

If all the green party promises is to implement a Land Value Tax, they would have my vote... if I could still vote in Ontario.

Are provincial Greens anti Nuclear?

I thought that was a crazy Elizabeth May Fed Greens thing.

Feds and Provincial Greens are not the same party like the Fed and Prov NDP are, correct?

 

[Admiral Beez]

I still say that if we really want to do HSR we should start with Toronto to Montreal/Ottawa. But that isn't sexy enough when trying to woo southern Ontario voters.

Toronto to Montreal/Ottawa is already the fastest passenger rail service in Canada. Toronto-Montreal on VIA is just shy of 5 hours, at a distance of 543 km, for speed of 109 kph. Try Toronto to London, 3.5 to 2.25 hours. At 190 km distance, that's 55 - 84 kph.

In January I took the HSR from Kaohsiung to Taipei. On my GPS phone I clocked us at 340 kph. I can't imagine Canada ever having trains even half that fast.

 

[mdrejhon]

He should pull the Hamilton LRT money and finish the Brampton or Milton GO Line if Hamilton doesn't want LRT.

Are you FRICKING KIDDING?!!? A majority of our population is pro-LRT.

Although the recent biased survey (landline phones, most 65+, only 4% were 18-35) pegged us at only barely half pro-LRT, that is still incredibly high considering the severely biased survey funded by mostly NOLRT politicians.

An assistant professor tabulated the flawed LRT survey demographics:

Yes, we are more polarized due to the escarpment and the divide, but rest assured, the majority is pro-LRT here.

We are literally one of the biggest-followership LRT advocacy GTHA wide.

We had the biggest-ever rally in this region for an LRT
250 people - Waterloo, 2011
400 people - Toronto, 2010
500 people - Hamilton, 2017

Our loud YES and NO do drown things out.

Just watch us, residents here raise lots of funds if we have to counter entrenched NOLRT interests.

The NOLRTs only mustered a counterprotest of 6, to our positive rally. The mayor even made a speech to us, thanking us for support.

(partial panorama, there were more behind me)

 

[ShonTron]

Toronto to Montreal/Ottawa is already the fastest passenger rail service in Canada. Toronto-Montreal on VIA is just shy of 5 hours, at a distance of 543 km, for speed of 109 kph. Try Toronto to London, 3.5 to 2.25 hours. At 190 km distance, that's 55 - 84 kph.

In January I took the HSR from Kaohsiung to Taipei. On my GPS phone I clocked us at 340 kph. I can't imagine Canada ever having trains even half that fast.

Yeah. I'll I want for the Toronto-Kitchener-London service are trains that are reliable, frequent, and fast enough. Speeds up to 175 km/h, which is doable on conventional North American track, without slow orders or track delays. Stops only at Pearson, Brampton, and Guelph, with frequent complementary train service for intermediate stops. I should be able to take a train from Downtown Toronto to Downtown Kitchener that takes no more than 75 minutes. You don't need HSR for that.

 

[OneCity]

Are you FRICKING KIDDING?!!? A majority of our population is pro-LRT.

Although the recent biased survey (landline phones, most 65+, only 4% were 18-35) pegged us at only 58% pro-LRT, that is still incredible considering the severely biased survey - and was a survey funded by NOLRT politicians.

Yes, we are more polarized due to the escarpment and the divide, but rest assured, the majority is pro-LRT here.

We are literally one of the biggest-followership LRT advocacy GTHA wide.

We had the biggest-ever rally in this region for an LRT
250 people - Waterloo, 2011
400 people - Toronto, 2010
500 people - Hamilton, 2017

Our loud YES and NO do drown things out.

Just watch us, we raise lots of funds if we have to counter entrenched NOLRT interests.

The NOLRTs only mustered a counterprotest of 6.

View attachment 143570

The next municpal election will likely decide. The good news is the money will still be there under a Ford admin.

I don't even think Ford cares what Hamilton does, but is aware there is a large portion of outter residents who feel little benefit as you mention. And his statement was made likely to acknowledge those voters and gain a couple extra votes.

Hopefully not a Redhill 2.0 where nothing is built for decades.

 

[kps]

Yeah. I'll I want for the Toronto-Kitchener-London service are trains that are reliable, frequent, and fast enough. Speeds up to 175 km/h, which is doable on conventional North American track, without slow orders or track delays. Stops only at Pearson, Brampton, and Guelph, with frequent complementary train service for intermediate stops. I should be able to take a train from Downtown Toronto to Downtown Kitchener that takes no more than 75 minutes. You don't need HSR for that.

I recently did a back-of-the-envelope round-number estimate on WRC. Cruise at 150km/h, brake, accelerate, and level-board at 1 minute each. This is all within the capability of off-the-shelf European commuter multiple units (e.g. the Stadler Flirt that Caltrain has also ordered for SF commuters), and geographically possible on the current right of way. Then, stopping at the all the current GO stations plus Breslau, the 77km from Kitchener to YYZ takes 46 minutes, and express from there downtown makes for an hour total. That beats 401.

Heading west, we'll stop at New Hamburg, Stratford, St Mary's, YXU, and downtown London at 98km. Then we have London–Kitchener in 50 minutes, and London–Toronto in 1:50.

This is not kick-the-can-down-the-road HSR fantasy, this is euro-prole commuter gear on the existing route (not, of course, the existing 19th century steel).

 

[BurlOak]

I recently did a back-of-the-envelope round-number estimate on WRC. Cruise at 150km/h, brake, accelerate, and level-board at 1 minute each. This is all within the capability of off-the-shelf European commuter multiple units (e.g. the Stadler Flirt that Caltrain has also ordered for SF commuters), and geographically possible on the current right of way. Then, stopping at the all the current GO stations plus Breslau, the 77km from Kitchener to YYZ takes 46 minutes, and express from there downtown makes for an hour total. That beats 401.

Heading west, we'll stop at New Hamburg, Stratford, St Mary's, YXU, and downtown London at 98km. Then we have London–Kitchener in 50 minutes, and London–Toronto in 1:50.

This is not kick-the-can-down-the-road HSR fantasy, this is euro-prole commuter gear on the existing route (not, of course, the existing 19th century steel).

How can you stop at St. Marys and New Hamburg, and not Guelph, Brampton (and possibly Bloor).?

 

[crs1026]

How can you stop at St. Marys and New Hamburg, and not Guelph, Brampton (and possibly Bloor).?

I took the phrase ‘all current GO stations’ as including these ?

- Paul

 

[BurlOak]

I took the phrase ‘all current GO stations’ as including these ?

- Paul

Sorry, I didn't read it clearly.

 

[kps]

… (and possibly Bloor).?

Well, at Pearson you can just transfer to the Bloor subway extension that runs up the hydro corridor.

 

[jcam]

Sounds like Ford just promised to cut the gas tax by 10 cents. I think its generally a flow through to municipalities, so he's essentially playing to his base of cutting taxes, not hitting provincial jobs, but kneecapping the municipalities that use the funding for transit. I hope someone adds it up over long-term and calls it out as what it is - cutting transit spending.

 

[syn]

Ford's entire transit plan is predicated on his idea of the 'War on the Car". Any transit expansion is based on making things easier for drivers - which is why he constantly slams LRTs.

If it comes down to making things appear better for drivers or funding transit, he'll unquestionably pander to drivers.