Horwath: Affordable housing should be built alongside Hamilton LRT

QUEEN’S PARK – Official Opposition Leader Andrea Horwath introduced a private member’s motion Thursday in the Ontario legislature to designate surplus Metrolinx properties in Hamilton for affordable housing development. The Hamilton Centre MPP wants affordable housing built alongside the future LRT she’s committed to.

Horwath’s motion says that the Ford government should fully transfer, without cost, all surplus properties along the planned Hamilton LRT route, owned by Metrolinx, to the City of Hamilton as a provincial contribution to the development of affordable housing along the route. Horwath continues to be a tireless fighter for building an LRT for Hamilton.

“New Democrats have always stood with Hamiltonians in support of the Hamilton LRT. Hamilton City Council has voted yes to the LRT time and time again. Last year, Doug Ford betrayed the people of Hamilton by cancelling this badly needed transit project, but I still believe we can win this battle, and get the LRT people deserve,” said Horwath.

“Folks deserve quicker commutes and less congestion. Metrolinx has acquired a lot of properties as part of the Hamilton LRT plan, and any part of those lands that can be used alongside the LRT for affordable housing must be given to the city of Hamilton to create homes people can afford.”

Horwath says Metrolinx must put the public interest first when deciding what happens to these publicly-owned properties, rather than just sell off the prime LRT-adjacent space to the highest bidder.

“We know Hamilton is facing an affordable housing crisis, with rents skyrocketing and house prices soaring, and now the list of people waiting for affordable housing in the city has grown to 6,200,” said Horwath.

“We’ve heard from families stuck in rental units that are too cramped, run down, or even unsafe, because they can’t find a new place they can afford, and buying a home is out of reach for many hardworking families in Hamilton. The city has seen an increase in homelessness during the pandemic, with a growing number of encampments. This is unsustainable. We need to designate more land for affordable housing to address the crisis that’s only got worse during the pandemic, and built the LRT — both are critical priorities.”

“Designating Metrolinx properties for affordable housing is an important and necessary step to begin to address the crisis we face right now in Hamilton. We need to do much more, which is why this month the Official Opposition NDP launched the Homes You Can Afford plan that includes building 69,000 affordable homes and 30,000 homes with supports across the province.”