crs1026
Superstar
I think that this is a key observation that may be overlooked in all the skepticism about the project - it reminds me of the Ontario Liberal's gambit on the Ontario Pension Plan and how that contributed to an enhancement of the Canada Pension Plan that encompassed some of Ontario's plan.
Very likely that Wynne is posturing with a private hope that Ottawa steps in - so that no matter how the project plays out, she can claim credit for initiating and advancing it. Desperately hoping, perhaps.
Any version that Ottawa will pay money for, I'm sure that she will accept.
D-S put out comments a while back to state that HSR wasn't really needed. One suspects that he felt he had to, so that VIA's own proposal didn't look like it was missing a mark and so the costs and merits of the two didn't get confused. Especially since anyone arguing against the more fiscally responsible HFR would undoubtedly point to the higher-priced HSR in their rhetoric, so VIA is at risk when Ontario talks HSR.
But - as @steveintoronto points out, there is indeed 'radio silence' between the two agencies. Their private hopes and wishes probably align pretty well, and they can likely live with a number of potential outcomes that advance something, anything better than what we have today.
As for GO transit improvements, they are already going as fast as they realistically can. Look at all the track work, station upgrades and new stations. This is all needed before launching RER. Realistically, how much can they accelerate that timeframe? Moreover, it's those GO RER improvements that make the Kitchener HSR feasible. So it's leveraging investments being made now.
The issue with ML is not that they are not doing stuff. They are doing a lot. The issue is more the political behaviour of promising the moon and the stars but not being concrete or accountable for the 'what by when' of actually doing stuff. ML is a participant/enabler in this although it would be career-limiting for them to directly confront some of the political grandstanding with facts. There is also project management/accountability issue that they don't set a public priority list and stick to it.
In the end, the critical path is still through the bypass. Being a negotiation, we will hear absolutely zilch about it until a deal is done. I do suspect ML is trying hard to advance this. CN's best bargaining strategy, unfortunately, is to rag the puck and let Ontario/ML's angst to get moving drive the price upwards. Or maybe the larger VIA deal will have to come first, as CN would be foolish to set any precedent in the Halton deal that they couldn't live with should VIA want to negotiate towards HFR. If there is any place that Ottawa and Ontario need to come together and act in a united fashion, it's this one. Alas, it may be too low profile to have any political leverage. And so we will wait.
- Paul