Gord Hunter: Hold off funding the LRT

Reported in the Sun, and CFRA...

An Ottawa City Councillor wants the Federal and Ontario Governments to hit the brakes on funding for the O-Train until it reviews the plans.

The Ottawa Sun reports Gord Hunter wrote to Treasury Board President John Baird and Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty, asking them to look at Ottawa's business case for the 780-million dollar Light Rail Transit System.

Hunter is concerned taxpayers will be spending all this money on a line that will only bring in five million dollars in revenue a year. He notes the O-Train will only add five thousand riders to the transit system. [we know that the number of net new riders is actually 1090, based on an IBI ridership report.]

The two levels of government have pledged 400 million dollars towards the project. [only on approval of a business case for the LRT N-S line, which is not yet completed.]

Hunter was one of seven councillors who voted against the line from the University of Ottawa to Barrhaven.