Anti-LRT coalition abandons legal action against Region of Waterloo

CTV Kitchener: New frontier? Despite dropping his court challenge, Jay Aissa says he's done opposing the light rail transit project. Frank Lynn has the story.

The legal challenge against Waterloo Region’s light rail transit project has come to an abrupt stop.

A coalition dubbed Stop Waterloo LRT filed legal action against the project in March, claiming it didn’t conform to the province’s Planning Act because it wasn’t mentioned in the region’s official plan.

The region argued that rapid transit was included in both its new official plan, which remains under appeal at the Ontario Municipal Board, and in an amendment to the existing plan.

Stop Waterloo LRT’s initial application for an injunction was thrown out on the ground

Jay Aissa, the Waterloo businessman who started the coalition, confirmed to CTV News that his group has since withdrawn its legal action.

Aissa – who has called for work on the project to be postponed until after October’s municipal election – says the legal challenge was dropped because he didn’t expect it to be resolved before the election.

“I wasn’t going to go and try to make somebody else’s life miserable after Oct. 27,” he said Friday.

Asked if he planned to run for office in October, Aissa replied “I’ll talk to you in two weeks.”

Regional chair Ken Seiling told CTV News he was “quite pleased” to learn of the developments.

“Rather than carry on with this, I think it’s good that we’re all stopping and moving on with the project,” he said.

Aissa says he will continue to fight the project.

Groundbreaking on the Ion system is scheduled for next week, with significant construction work beginning in 2015 and vehicles running by 2017.

The line will run for 19 kilometres, with 16 stops between Fairview Park Mall in Kitchener and Conestoga Mall in Waterloo.