Canada’s parliamentary budget officer will not probe Hamilton LRT funding
An analysis of federal infrastructure spending by Canada's parliamentary budget officer will not include a specific review of Hamilton's LRT requested by former MP Bob Bratina.
Bratina announced last May he would not seek re-election as a Liberal because of his government's decision to put up $1.7 billion to help resurrect a cancelled light-rail transit line in Hamilton. The former mayor, a longtime LRT opponent, characterized the 14-kilometre line as a pet project" of then-infrastructure minister Catherine McKenna and not in the best interest of the city.
Bratina asked parliamentary budget officer Yves Giroux to review the appropriateness of the LRT funding, including whether it meets the criteria of the federal Investing in Canada Plan.
An analysis of federal infrastructure spending is underway and should be done in February - but it will not include numbers attached to specific projects such as Hamilton's LRT," said PBO director of parliamentary relations and planning Melissa Fraser-Arnott.
Fraser-Arnott said the PBO considered Bratina's specific request to delve into the LRT budget, but will not be proceeding with the analysis at this time" because of competing priorities. She said election-related costing studies took priority last summer, followed by other required reports and requests from parliamentary committees.
Bratina expressed hope more details about LRT funding would still come out.
Giroux did ask the federal infrastructure ministry in June for a detailed breakdown of committed and intended expenditures under the Investing in Canada plan, which includes $180 million in anticipated transit and transportation, green and social infrastructure spending over 12 years.
All Canadians, including myself as a taxpayer and your employer as a news outlet, should want to be informed about how government spends its money," said Bratina in an email to The Spectator.
The parliamentary budget officer can choose to review any federal budgetary issue at the request of a MP. Now that Bratina is no longer an elected official, it is not clear if his request will remain in the queue.
The province and federal government have jointly put up $3.4 billion to build the 14-kilometre light-rail line, a project previously cancelled by Ontario's Progressive Conservative government in 2019 over projected budget overruns.
The city signed a memorandum of agreement in the fall to move ahead with the project, which would require Hamilton to cover operating costs for the transit line. Utility relocation along the Main-King corridor could begin in early 2022, but the timeline for major construction bidding remains unclear.
Matthew Van Dongen is a transportation and environment reporter at for The Spectator. mvandongen@thespec.com