Mayoral candidate Mike Maguire is warning that a downtown transit tunnel, whether for light rail or buses, will result in big property tax hikes.
He calculates that the $2.1 billion light rail system, once operating and maintenance costs are figured in, would require at least a 16 per cent rise in taxes, while bus rapid transit would bring about a 6.5 per cent increase, and nearly $100 million for new buses.
Maguire is campaigning for surface rail similar to the GTA’s Go Train, with trains from Orleans, Kanata, Barrhaven and Riverside South, which he guesses would cost $215 million.
