Posted on 05/27/2010 5:23:35 AM PDT by Willie Green
EMC News - Two new reports show that Ottawa's Light Rail Project will generate $3 billion in economic stimulus and create 20,000 person-years of employment during construction alone.
The City of Ottawa's Rail Implementation Office and the Planning and Growth Management department today released a pair of documents that illustrate the value and benefit of the city's Light Rail Transit (LRT) project.
Business Case: Downtown Ottawa Transit Tunnel Project was developed as part of the city's Environmental Assessment requirements for the project. It speaks to the specific positive impacts associated with implementing LRT in Ottawa and provides a detailed analysis of the benefits that LRT will bring to our communities.
Transforming Our Nation's Capital: The Benefits of Light Rail speaks to the broader economic, environmental and social benefits that LRT will bring to the city. Coupled together, these documents demonstrate the strong return on investment accrued to the city from implementing city council's LRT Plan.
"These documents represent yet another important milestone achieved in advancing this critical infrastructure project for Ottawa," said mayor Larry O'Brien. "This will advance the Environmental Assessment approval process for this important project."
The benefits to the city include:
- 38,000 tonne reduction in Ottawa's Greenhouse Gas Emissions,
- total project economic output of $3.2 billion and 20,000 person-years of employment generated during construction alone,
- when combined with a redesigned bus system, up to $100 million per year in operational savings at OC Transpo beginning in year one of LRT operation, and,
- more efficient boarding, improved levels of comfort, and faster speeds that will cut up to 15 minutes from a passengers average daily commute.
In addition, the LRT project's new website, www.ottawalightrail.ca, will allow Ottawa's residents to quickly and easily access both general information relating to the LRT project as well as specific information regarding LRT work that is ongoing in their community.
"This project is one of the most transformative undertakings in this city's history," said Transit Committee Chair, councillor Alex Cullen. "The enormous benefits the City will achieve environmentally, economically, and socially are the reasons why this project continues to receive Council's strong endorsement."
Ottawa's LRT project will generate business opportunities, create thousands of jobs and help make Ottawa a more vibrant, sustainable and prosperous place to work, live and play. Faster and more reliable access to downtown and other employment centres will encourage existing businesses in the core to expand, and encourage transit-oriented development of new businesses and attractions in both the downtown and other places along the line. LRT stations will act as hubs for future development, supporting the city's plans for managing future residential and commercial growth. This will help the city achieve its ridership, re-urbanization and intensification targets, as well as protecting agricultural and environmentally sensitive areas.
Is this an article or an advert?
Well then this will be the 1st one. Every single one of these projects makes these claims of benefit going into the project, every single one of them has completely failed to deliver anywhere near the economic stimulus and job creation the pushers claims it would.
It’s a fairy tale.
WHAT A CROCK!! This is TAX money being spent. WHat the article should say is that Ottawa's Light Rail Project will waste $3 billion of taxpayer money that could have been better spent on something else. Read Bastiat's "What Is Seen and What Is Not Seen."
Another gummit make work boondoggle. Notice they never say anything about actual ridership.
Pray for America
These people have pre-senile dementia...
If this were actually an investment, it would not require one thin dime from taxpayers to operate or maintain it.
Worthless.
- total project economic output of $3.2 billion and 20,000 person-years of employment generated during construction alone,
Cost to taxpayers.
Useful capital diverted and wasted.
- when combined with a redesigned bus system, up to $100 million per year in operational savings at OC Transpo beginning in year one of LRT operation, and,
The savings will never be actually realized but even if if could that's a 32 year payback!
- more efficient boarding, improved levels of comfort, and faster speeds that will cut up to 15 minutes from a passengers average daily commute.
For the minority of people that actually use it. The overall improvement in productivity for the community will be nil.
More than likely, once built, people will not ride it and it won't make enough revenue to pay ongoing expenses, much less recap the construction cost.
It's going to take 20,000 people one year to build it? Wtf?
WHAT A CROCK!! This is TAX money being spent.
Actually, this is tax money being INVESTED in long term infrastructure, which would be listed on a balance sheet as a "public asset".
And improved transportation infrastructure facilitates economic growth (which expands the tax base and provides the ROI.)
The commies in Portland had the same line about our light rail. The one from our small community to city is losing $250K/yr.
The commies in Portland had the same line about our light rail. The one from our small community to city is losing $250K/month.
Two new reports show that Ottawa’s Light Rail Project will generate $3 billion in economic stimulus and create 20,000 person-years of employment during construction alone.
Although I’m not genetically predisposed to hate light rail projects I know that this is a crock. Construction will provide 1000 men with 20 years of employment? For a single municipal light rail system? Even union men would do better.
Yeah, just like the highway system doesn't require one thin dime from taxpayers to operate or maintain it OH WAIT
It's going to take 20,000 people one year to build it? Wtf?
No... it's "trickle down" economics (aka "ripple effect")...
Perhaps only 5000 people work on it directly to build it,
But when those 5000 people spend the money they earn, that generates jobs for 15000 more people in stores, restaurants, schools, etc. etc. etc.
Ping to reply #17
I also misread that. I thought that they were saying it would cost 3.2B to build.
What they are saying is that the building process will generate 3.2B of economic activity.
For instance the cost is 500M but that gets spent in the community and generates employment for other people etc etc.
Though like most models this is probably optimistic and there will be significant amounts of money that disappear to out of town contractors and out of country suppliers.
Did you read the Bastiat link?
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