Cambridge won’t ask for reimbursement on light rail transit investment

A push for reimbursement on Waterloo Region’s light rail transit system failed to gain traction at Tuesday night’s council meeting in Cambridge.

Councillor Helen Shwery’s motion called for a full breakdown of the city’s ION investment, including the cost to build and maintain the service. She said it’s been almost seven years since the LRT’s launch and trains are still not running in Cambridge.

Shwery also argued the region has reaped the benefits of light rail on the backs of Cambridge taxpayers and it’s time to demand accountability.

“Some people say it will destroy Cambridge’s credibility,” the councillor said. “No! Asking for fairness and transparency strengthens Cambridge’s credibility. But when we continue to pay for something we’re not using, it does not.”

Councillor Adam Cooper sided with Shwery.

“Financially, we got screwed here,” he stated.

One delegate saw it differently. She called the push for repayment “anti-democratic.”

“When motions suggest residents can ‘get their money back,’ they risk misleading the public and losing trust,” Melissa De La Haye said. “There is no authority for the retroactive reimbursement of regional taxes.”

The debate stretched late into the night and, eventually, the motion was narrowly defeated by a vote of 5 to 4. Cambridge Mayor Jan Liggett, Ward 8 Councillor Nicholas Ermeta, Ward 6 Councillor Adam Cooper and Shwery backed the idea, while Ward 7 Councillor Scott Hamilton, Ward 3 Councillor Corey Kimpson, Ward 5 Councillor Sheri Roberts, Ward 4 Councillor Ross Earnshaw and Ward 2 Councillor Mike Devine voted against the motion.

- With reporting by Alexandra Holyk