Hamilton LRT derailed

Transportation Minister Caroline Mulroney made it official on Monday—the province is pulling the plug on the Hamilton LRT project, saying the actual cost of the project would have ended up being $5.5 Billion dollars. In a two-page release the minister pinned the blame for the shocking numbers on the Wynne government who she accused of being aware of the cost overruns. The planned announcement at the Sheraton Hotel turned out to be something of a fiasco as a planned public announcement and news conference were abruptly cancelled amid an unconfirmed rumor that some sort of threat had been made to the minister. Mayor Fred Eisenberger was left to relay the news to the gathering of mainly LRT supporters. Mulroney said that Hamilton would still get the $1 Billion to invest in other transportation infrastructure, announcing the formation of a task force to advise her on the best use of the funding. The task force is to report back to the minister by the end of February. Mayor \Fred Eisenberger termed the news “ a betrayal of Hamilton”