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Re: 'Rail-link: let's have an open mind and make sure Weston benefits,' Letters, Aug. 1

The Weston Community Coalition has been saying for over three years that the plan as currently proposed (Blue 22, there is NO other proposal out there) would be disastrous for Weston, and a colossal giveaway of taxpayer's money to an already wealthy corporation. (SNC Lavalin, the chief beneficiary of the tax dollars, already is the key player in the 407 giveaway). Blue 22 would be given taxpayer-funded infrastructure to run on, a 50-year monopoly to run trains to the airport, paying only a dollar a year to use the rails we paid for and absolutely no requirement to service any of the sections of Toronto it would whiz by. There is NO proposal to stop in Weston, and even if it did, unless it is true public transit, I doubt most local residents would choose to get on a train if it cost a minimum of $20 to go downtown or to the airport. The Coalition has been steadfast in its opposition to the proposal put forward in 2003 by the Federal Liberals, and signed on to by the Provincial Liberals in 2004. We have suggested, to five different ministers of transportation, to the premier and the prime minister, to the mayor and councillors, that this corridor is too valuable a resource to be wasted on a single-purpose private, for profit, rail link. If we are to spend $300-million of our tax dollars we should spend it wisely - build public transit that works for the residents along the line, with stops along the way (not just in Weston) and make it electric (like every other city in the world) so that the residents and schoolchildren living and playing near the tracks don't have to be exposed to noxious fumes and noise from antiquated diesel engines speeding by every seven and half minutes. The Coalition has repeatedly stated that public funds should be used for public transit, accessible and affordable for all citizens, not just the wealthy.

Mike Sullivan, chair, Weston Community Coalition