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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Friday September 28, 2007 - 3 Candidates discuss GO Transit parking As part of its election coverage, The Oakville Beaver will be asking each of the candidates in the Oakville and Halton ridings to respond to a weekly question. The Oakville riding responses will be published each Friday and the Halton riding responses will be published in the Saturday Weekend edition. This week's question came from Carolyn Suter, of Oakville, who asked, "The parking lots for the two Oakville GO Stations are currently overcapacity. With all the residential building that continues in Lakeshore Woods and in north Oakville along Dundas, how do you foresee us keeping up with GO Station parking demand?" Do you have a question for the candidates? Send your question to editor@oakvillebeaver.com for consideration. Kevin Flynn Liberals As a regular GO rider, I understand the importance of providing parking to ensure our public transit system is reliable and userfriendly. I have worked hard to advocate on your behalf for new parking for Oakville GO Kevin Flynn stations. I am pleased to report that a new major parking structure for Oakville GO commuters is being delivered. I strongly believe in public transit. Unlike the previous Conservative government who cut transit funding and downloaded it when they were in office, Liberal investments in transit are making a difference for working families in Oakville. Thanks to the collaborative efforts of the Ontario government, GO Transit and the Town of Oakville, our community will have increased parking to help Oakville families spend less time finding a parking spot and more time with their loved ones. I have also worked with officials to secure additional parking at the Bronte station, where we are looking at surface expansions for that site. The new Oakville parking project is part of the Liberal government's multi-faceted plan to make public transit more convenient and reliable across the province. This year a $1.3-billion investment in public transit will include more than $830 million in GO Transit funding. The improvement at the Oakville GO Station is yet another example of how we are moving Oakville forward and improving the quality of life for our community. On October 10, 2007, vote for a Liberal government that has delivered results and will continue to invest in greener public transit options. Marion Schaffer Green Party The issue raised in this question points to the kind of "thinking about the future" which is necessary when suburban communities engage in planning for the needed infrastructure of growing areas. All facets of Marion Schaffer the over-all picture have to be analyzed so that dilemmas like this do not occur. The Green Party of Ontario will introduce legislation that requires each municipality by 2012 to have a sustainable master transportation plan. Such a plan would contain land use planning that encourages walkable communities where citizens can live, work and play nearby; provisions for transit service and nonautomobile alternatives; plans for peak-hour traffic volume decreases; and transportationrelated greenhouse gas emission reduction targets. The Green Party will divert 75 per cent of all money budgeted for new highway construction until 2012 to public transit like GO Transit and the TTC. This will fund the service improvements, expansion and infrastructure to create a world-class transportation system, relieve grid-lock, and eliminate the need for new highways. The Ontario Green Party feels such monies must be invested wisely, looking forward, so that we are well prepared for the future. If elected I would commit to work with the Town of Oakville to identify new space to expand parking for our current GO stations and improve public transit access to these GO stations. As well, I would support an integrated fare for local transit and GO to ease the cost for commuters. Tony Crawford NDP The NDP is committed to fairness for working families. Fairness in public transit means uploading 50 per cent of the operating costs of municipal public transit Tony Crawford and investing in green, light rail systems with increased capacity. This provincial upload means that municipalities will have funds to invest in transit expansion and connecting routes to GO stations to alleviate the pressure on existing parking lots. It's time to end Dalton McGuinty's downloading of provincial bills onto municipalities and working families. As Oakville continues to grow northward, people are making choices to drive to Milton as a less difficult, but not convenient option. Other Oakville transit possibilities include light rail passenger links to GO stations, and another GO station location according to Oakville commuter demographics, including land set aside for parking. There are many examples of innovative public transportation systems around the world. We have an opportunity to leapfrog outdated methods and showcase better designs. As usual it is a question of priorities. The NDP understands the importance of investing in transit systems and job creation in modern infrastructure. The NDP stands for fairness for working people who need the convenience of public transport in busy lives. Rick Byers PC For the past 16 years, ever since the Byers family moved to Oakville, I have been taking the GO train to work. In fact, I travel with a regular group of GO riders - we even have a Christmas celebration on the Rick Byers train complete with egg nog and shortbread cookies. It's safe to say I know the GO system firsthand. Like all GO passengers, I know that the service quality has deteriorated significantly in the past 18 months and that there is a desperate shortage of parking. By the 8:30 a.m. Oakville departure, drivers are forced to park illegally, often getting tickets. This is no way to encourage people to use transit. An important element of the PC platform is our commitment to dedicate every penny of gas tax to transportation and transit. This is $800 million in incremental funding by the fourth year of a PC government. This money will be used to fund transportation priorities like expanding the GO network by adding new routes and increasing service levels on the existing network. Despite many announcements and promises, the Liberal program includes no new money until 2011. Our approach will start delivering results in the first year of our mandate. As Oakville's MPP, I will make it a priority to ensure we get more parking capacity for all the stations that Oakville passengers use. I will also encourage Oakville residents to take transit and I will continue to use the GO system whenever I can to get to and from work at Queen's Park. Think Eastman Estate Think TM Discover the Eastman Estate for country estate elegance in a highly insulated (R-16 Value) steel door. Call your Garaga Experts garage door consultant. Estate elegance 3170 Ridgeway Drive, Unit 17/18 Mississauga www.bmgaragedoor.com (905) 569-9133 /(866) 836-5553