Government Relations Update

Feb 7, 2011 | Member Services, RAHB News | 0 comments

State of the City Address

Burlington Mayor Rick Goldring presented his first State of the City address to a sold-out audience of 400 Burlington business people and residents at a breakfast held by the Burlington Chamber of Commerce on Thursday, January 20, 2011. 

Goldring focused on the current state of the city, his vision for the city as an “affordable, inclusive and complete” community and his action plan for the next few years.  He noted that Burlington weathered the recession well and that capital spending costs from the previous two years had been lower than budgeted precisely because the City kept building during the recession when resources were available and costs reduced.

Challenges for the City in the coming years will be in addressing Burlington’s slowing growth rate (which will result in less revenue) and the changing demographic of the city, where Burlington will soon see 20% of its population at retirement age or older.

Goldring pointed out that in while Burlington itself provides excellent amenities, residents should also appreciate and embrace the amenities, services and facilities immediately surrounding the city:  education opportunities at McMaster University, Mohawk and Sheridan Colleges; the emerging technology centre in Kitchener-Waterloo; and the world-renowned wine district in Niagara among them.

Community engagement was a recurring theme throughout the presentation, and the mayor stressed the importance of citizens’ input in planning for the future. 

Anticipating attendees’ interest in the Burlington pier, Goldring noted that the new Council had already spent 14 hours in briefings about the pier and are “united in their resolve to complete this project.”  He added that the pier will be completed as quickly and as cost-effectively as possible.

Government Relations Update

Feb 7, 2011 | Member Services, RAHB News | 0 comments

Why light rail is an investment worth making

LRT will stimulate our economy by:

• Increasing land value by 8 to 14 percent within 800m of the line and particularly within close proximity to station areas
• Increasing assessment value as high value, high density, mixed use land parcels can produce higher assessments which help to pay for the capital and operating costs of the system
• Creating jobs in the initial design and construction stage, as well as in the ongoing operations and maintenance phase. It is estimated, that approximately 6,000 jobs would be created due to construction expenditures combined with over 1,000 ongoing jobs due to regular operations and maintenance.
• Encouraging urban development:  permanence of the LRT line allows both riders and developers to have a vision, plan ahead, and create compact urban communities knowing it has long-term viability
• Attracting private investment to build new neighbourhoods and renew existing ones. Studies show that LRT supports local economic development and brings more shoppers to local businesses.

LRT will improve the quality of life by:

• Making Hamilton more accessible, LRT will be within 800 metres to almost 20 percent of Hamilton’s residents and employment
• Offering time savings calculated at $647 million a year for existing transit users, new transit users and auto users
• Offering competitive journey times and reliability
• Increasing passenger comfort
• Increasing public access to employment areas, residential properties, commercial districts and municipal services, increasing the connectivity and vibrancy of urban areas
• Connecting Hamilton’s priority neighbourhoods, as outlined in the Hamilton Spectator’s Code Red study, to more employment, educational, healthcare, recreational and cultural opportunities
• Encouraging healthier lifestyles
• Reducing collisions as a result of declining automobile usage with estimated savings of $18 million over a 30 year period

From “Funding Proposal: Moving Hamilton forward with LRT”, www.hamilton.ca/rapid-transit