While no one would argue that the latest list of Hamilton properties that Metrolinx wants to expropriate has great historical or cultural value in the classical sense, some of them still It is a landmark. The ordinary collection also includes properties that evoke memories of the downtown area. How many generations of Hamiltonians have picked up a bag of Chinese food at the South Pacific Restaurant on the corner of Main and Kenilworth? How many generations of Stipley and Gibson area residents have picked up a bag of Chinese food at the corner of King and Bairnsdale? There are homes that provide dental care across the country. Delta's Hamilton Filipino Club, located across from McDonald's, is on the list. King and Sherman has a do-it-yourself wine shop, a tattoo parlor, and a general store that was Atlantic's sub-his shop for many years. The restaurant on Main and Balmoral has long been a popular Sunday morning breakfast spot for groups of well-behaved bikers. There's Union Hall, the old TD Bank, a neighborhood laundromat, several martial arts clubs, a sign store, and Otto's Autos, a good old used car lot. Disturbingly, there are at least 10 properties on the upper floors that contained affordable residential rental units until his recent LRT gold rush.
When Doug Ford was in town last week, a reporter asked him if he could donate some of the expropriated property that was ultimately no longer needed for LRT use to the city for affordable housing construction. Ta. What a sad situation we have come to where people are relying on possible miscalculations of real estate requirements by Metrolinx to provide a paltry measure of affordability crisis.
It is also worrisome that so many properties east of the Delta are on the expropriation list. Only $3.4 billion was spent on construction, and given today's rising construction costs, the LRT that was announced to begin construction at the McMaster end is likely to be replaced on Main Street East before funding runs out. Who can say when it will arrive nearby? There seems to be a blind faith that senior governments will somehow come up with the additional funding needed no matter what. As previously noted here, this project does not appear to be anywhere on Infrastructure Ontario's priority list, which is responsible for the procurement process. Presumably before construction begins, elections will be held at all three of his levels of government, and depending on the outcome, several different realities could emerge. Meanwhile, Metrolinx continues to operate, displacing low-income residents through outright evictions and lower prices through land speculation. But the project's most ardent supporters are those on the most “progressive” end of the political spectrum on the current City Council.
