PelhamToday received the following letter regarding a recent Hot Take column on GO Train service:
James Culic’s report was a well-researched and valid argument for at least far more discussion before any further expansion of GO Train, particularly into Niagara, as the region is currently a complete economic basket case.
And however much sense getting rid of all of Canada’s existing rail services may sound, I don’t believe for a minute that James is at all optimistic of it happening any time soon! But nice try!
One quote from his article: “Without a confirmed timeline, the municipalities of the Niagara Region cannot make plans to take full advantage of the economic benefits GO service expansion will provide.”
Whenever a politician today, of any current political party, states that all they want is the opportunity to “make plans now,” we taxpayers should worry! I’m still waiting to see a plausible financial survey that will prove to all Niagara taxpayers that our brand-new Niagara Transit System will be self-sustainable and require no future tax funded subsidies funded by the taxpayer. It would also be nice to know, just 12 months later, how much of our Regional taxes have already been handed over, since its inception.
Only a politician would claim they know exactly how to make the tourist industry in Niagara work and, quite frankly, that idea scares me! The last person I would trust to plan my tourism would be a politician.
When we have Niagara politicians “whinging” because they can’t start wasting our time and money on new “initiatives” now, for what is a pretty unremarkable and inadequate train service between Toronto and the Niagara Region, I have some very basic concerns.
I am still trying to understand why I should pay taxes to a Regional transit system when my municipality, along with a majority of Niagara municipalities, still hardly benefits at all in any practical way, and are unlikely to anytime soon.
Finally, my thanks again for a commonsense comment on this currently dysfunctional daydream of both our politicians and bureaucrats, regarding this “wonderful opportunity” of an expanded GO Train service to Niagara. If any of them look back at the majority of their “wonderful opportunity” economic disasters in the past you’d think there would come a time when at least a few of them may begin to think common sense, rather than just pie-in-the -sky tax spending. The poor Niagara taxpayers can only hope!
Andrew Watts
Wainfleet
