No light-rail trains before Pan Am Games. Full article here
No time to read the article? Here are my takeaways:
- there is simply too much planning, design, engineering, environmental study and construction work to complete and senior officials did not want roads torn up during the Games
- goal will now be to have all the preliminary work finished so that shovels can go in the ground immediately after the Games finish
- design reports will be ready in late spring that will allow the public to really understand what stations will look like and where the track will be on the street
- Neither Jill Stephen Director of Rapid Transit with the city nor Metrolinx board member Richard Koroscil believe Hamilton’s prospects for Queen’s Park cash have dimmed due to the delay
- It’s a shame the trains won’t be in place when Hamilton is featured on the international stage
US Steel Locks Out 900 Workers. Full article here
- The lock out of due to a dispute over pensions
- US Steel is demanding the existing defined benefit pension plan be closed to new employees
- With all the volatility of the financial markets can you blame any employer for wanting to get away from a defined benefit plan?
- The former Stelco plans are about $1.2 billion short of what would be needed to cover all their obligations.
- The company also wants an end to indexing payments for current retirees.
