Ontario Liberals promise to pay 50 per cent of Ottawa's Stage 3 LRT project
Ontario Liberal leader Steven Del Duca is promising to help cover the cost to build light rail transit into Kanata and Barrhaven if he wins the provincial election.
"Fifty per cent of provincial funding for Stage 3 of Ottawa's regional transit plan is in the platform," Del Duca told CTV Morning Live Friday morning."Applying the lessons that have been learned from the previous stages.”
Mayor Jim Watson asked the provincial party leaders last week if they would commit to funding 50 per cent of Stage 3 of LRT funding, extending the Confederation Line into Kanata and Stittsville, and from Baseline Station to Barrhaven Town Centre.
A 2018 study pegged the cost of extending LRT from Moodie Drive to Kanata and Stittsville at $1.8 billion, while a 2020 report estimated running LRT to Barrhaven and separating VIA Rail tracks from transit would cost $3 billion.
Del Duca was in town Friday morning announcing his party’s platform for Ottawa, while also accusing Premier Doug Ford of turning his back on the capital.
The Liberals say if elected, they would build 10,000 new affordable homes in Ottawa over the next 10 years, ensure 26,000 more seniors in Ottawa are supported with the Home Care Guarantee and build the new Ottawa Hospital Civic Campus by 2028.
The PC government has pledged funding to open the new hospital by 2028.
Del Duca says Ottawa will ensure Ottawa "gets its fair share” under a Liberal government.
"The biggest opponent for the people of Ottawa is in fact Doug Ford himself. In the midst of the most difficult moment that this community has faced in a very long time, Doug Ford chose not to show up," Del Duca said, noting he visited Ottawa during the Freedom Convoy protest in February.
"I heard the anxiety and the angst from the people living in the downtown area, in particular, small business owners who felt they'd been completely abandoned. Remember, Doug Ford chose to go snowmobiling instead of coming to Ottawa during that occupation.
"So, the people of this city know Doug Ford is not a friend, his local MPPs didn't show up to do the job that was required either. Ontario Liberals will have Ottawa's back."
This is Del Duca's second trip to Ottawa during the provincial election campaign.
NDP Leader Andrea Horwath made her first campaign stop in Ottawa on Tuesday, while Progressive Conservative Leader Doug Ford has not stopped in the capital during the first two weeks of the campaign.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.