I am extremely disappointed to read of Mayor Brenda Halloran’s decision to pursue a municipal referendum on Rapid Transit. Wrapped in the guise of extending democracy, I believe that this decision is Mayor Halloran’s attempt to shirk responsibility for making a major community decision. Regional Council is capable and empowered to make this decision without a referendum.

There are two reasons that I feel this way: first, we govern ourselves not in a direct democracy but in a representative democracy. The decisions of government are extremely complex; individuals in society simply don’t have the time to verse themselves on the ins and outs of every issue, and so elect representatives to do so. In turn, we have an opportunity to judge those representatives on their decisions, and either re-appoint or appoint anew.

Yes, there is precedent for referendums in Canada, but these referendums are typically around issues of self-determination. How do we want to be governed and by whom. The Quebec sovereignty referendums or the Kitchener-Waterloo referendum on discussing amalgamation are examples of this. The rapid transit decision is a complex decision on capital expenditure, and does not fall within this category. Further, the extension of direct democracy can lead to lunacy, as the example of Stockwell Day being urged to change his name to ‘Doris Day’, illustrates.

The second reason I disagree with a referendum on this issue is that the 2010 municipal election was essentially a referendum on Rapid Transit, or at least a decision by the electorate on who should make such a decision. It was reported that Rapid Transit was the number-one issue of this election, and the electorate had the opportunity to put the decision makers they wanted in place. The Rapid Transit question isn’t new and didn’t arise after this municipal election. We as an electorate had an opportunity to weigh in on this issue. Waterloo Regional council has a mandate to make a decision on this issue.  

Mayor Carl Zehr, meanwhile, shows both leadership and courage by rejecting the call for a referendum. There is not a Regional councillor unaware of the implications of this vote; heads will be counted and in the next election voters will remember who gave their ‘yay’ or ‘nay’. They will be judged by the voters one way or another; by rejecting the call for a referendum, Mayor Zehr is showing courage in his willingness to make tough decision. This is precisely what he was elected to do.

It is a tough decision, and the many sides in this debate are galvanized. I encourage Regional Council to hold the vote on LRT on June 15^th not because it’s easy, but because it is hard. Consult polling data, letters to the editor, expert opinion, Regional planners, advocates and critics and judge for yourself whether this project is the best thing for this community. Reject the call for a referendum – you’re empowered to make a decision.