Jason Hammond

I am furious that the secretive Broadcast Consortium has again left Elizabeth May without an invitation to the televised leaders’ debates, despite the fact that she arguably represents the views of at least a million electors.

The representatives of CBC, Radio-Canada, CTV, Global, and TVA, have no right to decide that the Green Party is second class. This is insulting to supporters of the only party that had growth in the number of votes earned between the federal elections of 2006 and 2008. The Green Party runs candidates across the country, and currently polls regularly at 10% of the projected vote. To rationalise this ridiculous decision by saying that Greens do not have any seats in the house simply ignores the failings of our electoral system. If we had full proportional representation, the Green Party would have dozens of seats in the House of Commons. How is the party to gain seats without a fair opportunity to reach out to voters? It’s like a server at a restaurant refusing to bring you any food because you are not already eating.

Not all hope is lost on this issue. Remember that in 2008 the consortium made the same foolish decision. After other federal party leaders were forced by public outcry to admit the unfairness of the situation, the decision was reversed. In the period between, the GPC raised $100,000 per day, and dominated the news coverage. If the other party leaders want to prevent such fundraising, and want to get a word in edgewise for their policy announcements, they would be wise to insist on May’s inclusion very soon.

If you are an elector, of any degree or direction of partisanship, who is also upset by this undemocratic situation, please get involved. Tweet, email and phone the five member TV networks. Sign the online petition at demanddemocraticdebates.ca, and spread the word.

Together, we can ensure that our choices on Election Day are presented fairly.

Here are the comments I submitted to the Region of Waterloo Rapid Transit team…

“My choice would be Option L9, all LRT, or L9 adjusted with termination at Ainslie Street and Conestoga Mall (without service to St. Jacobs). The most expensive option is to wait. I would project that costs of such infrastructure will rise quickly, as will the costs of automobile dependency for potential riders. We urgently need this kind of investment in our community. We must act with ambition, and make the best use of the generous funds available from provincial and federal sources. As a resident of Kitchener, my region includes Cambridge and I agree with many residents there that they deserve to see rail in the first phase (what a dynamic way to inspire transit mode share growth in their city). Rail provides the best results for my tax dollars, moving passengers more cost efficiently and with less pollution. It is just what the developers who invest in our community need to inspire core area intensification, and it is what will attract and retain highly mobile talent for our future economy. Building any section of the RT corridor with a short-lived BRT or aBRT is wasteful and lacks vision. I am confident that once the LRT is in service, our conservative ridership projections will be rapidly eclisped, and (as has happened in so many other communities) neighbours in other areas will be arguing for the next line to serve them.”

So, there you have it, my position in a nutshell. Looking forward to the process wrapping up soon so that we can get some construction jobs underway. To learn more about Rapid Transit plans in Waterloo Region, check out their website.

I’ve been reviewing the latest political opinion polling results. Luckily, we have multiple major polling firms doing work most days during the federal campaign. This means that we can determine a multiple-provider three-poll average for greater accuracy, while maintaining a focus on recent results. Many of the sites that report multiple poll results (308, electionalmanac) also produce seat projections. What does it all add up to at day zero of the campaign? Very close to exactly what we got on Election Day 2008. So, is this election not needed or wanted, as some would have us believe? Nope.

First of all, I never mind an opportunity for Canadians to have a voice at the polls. We’re lucky to be solving our problems this way (ballots not bullets). Also, these are just the opening polls. Who knows what the next five weeks of campaigning will bring for the fortunes of any party.

Secondly, there is a great deal of potential for one significant change: a breakthrough Green Party seat in Saanich-Gulf Islands. Elizabeth May is running in a close race with Conservative incumbent Gary Lunn, and far ahead of the Liberal and NDP candidates. I think that this is the best potential for a meaningful change in the next Parliament, that Canadians will find interesting, engaging, and a breath of fresh air on the important issues we face.

Nearly a million votes were cast for the Green Party of Canada’s candidates in 2008, and we deserve to have those wishes respected and represented. We want our Parliament to include May, too. If you want May, too on May 2nd (election day), join me in supporting her campaign. One simple way to do this is to tweet with the hashtag #May2onMay2 – and of course visit her website (ElizabethMay.ca) to provide deeper support from anywhere across the country.

Here is my final contribution to my one-year (2010) term on the Waterloo Region Record’s Community Editorial Board, printed December 17th. Quick note on the headline: contributors don’t write them – so yes, I know that LRT is not a commuter train. Of course, feel free to get on the GO trains as well. Thanks to everyone who tweeted this about on the day it was published. Apparently I saved the best for last. I certainly enjoyed the time on the CEB, and wish all the best to this year’s contributors!

(http://www.therecord.com/opinion/article/301276)

“The region needs to get on the commuter train

Standing with hundreds of my fellow citizens on a chilly afternoon in Uptown Waterloo, I found myself startled by the need for a Rally for Rails in our community. How did the so-called “debate” on this issue manage to get derailed?

It doesn’t matter how often we hear that light rail transit is too expensive; repetition won’t make it true. Are the costs high? Absolutely. The project will demand investments in the hundreds of millions. It would be foolhardy to forget that this price tag pales in comparison to the billions we would otherwise pay to accommodate new and widened arterial roads, or a bus rapid transit system that would need to be replaced with rail not long after the cut ribbon hits the ground.

It doesn’t matter how loudly it is asserted that the system will just run between two malls. Could it be said that the Conestoga Parkway just runs between St. Jacobs and New Hamburg? It seems those of us living in between those points find some use for that indispensable piece of infrastructure. The new light rail stations will be within walking distance of a great portion of existing jobs and residences, and will further concentrate development in our core areas.

It doesn’t matter that the arguments against light rail are simple, and the arguments for it are more complex. It may be easier to attack the proposal, but I’d rather take a few minutes to hear the complicated and accurate side of the story.

What matters is that we have a serious and rare opportunity to shape our community in ways that will protect and enhance quality of life for many years and even generations to come. We cannot pay for an endless supply of roads and sprawling suburban form that stretches our civic services to the limit. We cannot afford to lose the local farmland and watershed that sustain us.

What matters is that light rail transit, and the urban form it inspires, is just the kind of boost our economy needs. It will be less costly than the alternatives, keeping our related tax increases in check. It will provide real attraction to developers who are able to invest billions of dollars, creating vibrant spaces for our homes and workplaces. With it, we will be the kind of community that can attract and retain the best talent, and their employers.

What matters most is that we have allowed our discussions on the issue to be guided by the frequent, loud, and simple arguments instead of the truth.

With light rail transit, life in our region will be less costly, more convenient, and less polluting. Light rail will provide a desperately needed core for a revolutionized bus system. Fed by higher frequency bus service, and additional express routes, many of which are already budgeted for outside of the rapid transit program, light rail will finally allow us to graduate to a fast and linear transit system we can all be proud of and imagine ourselves using.

After a multi-year public engagement process, careful analysis by respected professionals inside our municipal staff and beyond, and with more funding from senior governments than we would normally enjoy, we have an excellent plan. If anything, it is a first step of many on the path to a responsible vision for sustainable transportation in our community. It should not need a rally; it is strong enough to stand in the spotlight of honest evaluation, if we have the desire to seek and hear the facts on the matter. The train is coming, and we should all be on board.”

A quick hello to everyone rss-feeding on jasonhammond.ca – it’s great to be back after a few months of blog-fasting. I’m also swimming about in the twitterverse (@JasonHammond). Look forward to connecting with you.