July 14, 2025



Hi friends,

Welcome to the first edition of this little experiment—an occasional letter I’ll be writing on civic life, culture, family, and community here in Cambridge.

This is not about city council news, and certainly not about any partisan political debates. This is a platform for ideas and observations I hope are worth sharing. Please feel free to unsubscribe if you prefer, or to pass this newsletter along to friends that might want to sign up!

In these letters, I’ll reflect on one or two topics at a time. If something resonates, I’d love it if you passed it along to a neighbour, brought it up over coffee, or even wrote me back with your own thoughts. If you disagree with me, even better—tell me why, and I can learn from you. The point isn’t to always agree, but to keep asking good questions and to stick together while researching and fact-finding the answers.

This is about being in Cambridge, in our growing community. It’s about staying curious, grounded, and connected—even when we don’t all see things the same way.



To begin this first letter, I’ve had a lot of people reach out in support of my recent opinion editorial that was published in the Waterloo Region Record and Cambridge Today. I thought I would share it with you here as a conversation starter.

OP-ED: ION Phase II is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Cambridge

By Scott Hamilton (Published Tuesday, June 24th, 2025)

One of the of great challenges of politics — and life — is that most people are quick to say they want “change,” but rarely is the information and work required to create that change embraced when the time comes.



This is as true for cities as it is for their people, as evinced in the ongoing saga of the Ion Stage 2 — the LRT — coming to Cambridge.



Misinformation has spread quickly. Take, for instance, recent media reports stating that the Region of Waterloo is looking at a “new” option to replace the LRT — Bus Rapid Transit (BRT).



Bus Rapid Transit is nothing new. For years, BRT has sat as one of six options for the Ion’s Stage 2 implementation in Cambridge. The others are “do nothing,” and four LRT options travelling various routes and distances to Cambridge.



Multiple options are required for a valid business case to be pitched to upper levels of government for funding. Nothing has changed from the region’s standpoint made years ago: the LRT remains the preferred option to roll into Cambridge, from Waterloo to Galt.



It is also incorrect to claim that taxpayers are on the hook for one-third of Stage 2’s funding, as they were for Stage I.



When asked, regional staff now say that the upcoming business case will ask for full funding from the province and the federal government, just as it was in Mississauga and Hamilton.



If we do not receive the provincial and federal grants to fund the LRT, that money doesn’t flow back into taxpayer’s pockets. It will go to other cities’ projects, leaving us with nothing while other municipalities grow and excel.



It is also grossly inaccurate to frame the LRT as solely a mode of transportation. True, the LRT would pull cars off the road, encourage active transportation, move more people than buses could, and reduce our region’s road congestion and pollution.



But there is much more to the LRT that demands serious attention.



Simply put: the LRT is an unparalleled socio-economic-creation machine. Where the LRT rolls, billions in investments flow into new housing, businesses, parks, schools, placemaking, and community-building.



It makes, and revitalizes, cores and cities. A BRT does not accomplish this.

This is the real point of the LRT: to take Cambridge into the future. It is an opportunity we cannot miss. And the time to act is now.

We sit at an interesting historical moment, where the prime minister of Canada and the premier of Ontario are aligned with the shared goal of creating large infrastructure projects to boost our economy and spur growth.



Although the Stage 2 cost of the LRT to Cambridge comes with a high price tag of $2.72 billion in today’s dollars ($4.5 billion is the estimate that includes inflation in years to come), what matters is the return on this investment.



The Cambridge Chamber of Commerce estimates a $5 billion to $10 billion return along Hespeler Road alone.



Is this too expensive?



Let’s remember that Premier Doug Ford’s proposed tunnel under Highway 401 is estimated to cost $55 billion to $130 billion. Ion Phase 2 costs a fraction of this and its return-on-investment is proven.



I have spoken to countless residents who are in favour of the LRT. They understand that the pain of construction is worth the tremendous benefits yielded thereafter, as seen in Kitchener and Waterloo. Those cities are reaping the social and economic rewards of an LRT that Cambridge citizens helped finance.



Now it’s Cambridge’s turn. We must embrace the business case for Ion Stage 2, and allow Cambridge to realize its true potential.

Let’s Keep Talking

Thanks for reading this first note! I’ll send more soon—no schedule, no pressure, just thoughtful reflections on our growing city and what it’s like to raise a young family here in Cambridge.



Until next time, all the best!



Scott

I'm Scott Hamilton — a City Councillor in Cambridge. I have a PhD in political science, I’m proud to work full-time with the United Way to help our local charities, and I have two young children keeping my life interesting!



This newsletter is something I write on my own time, as a way to share ideas and reflections on our changing city. The views here are personal opinions, not official positions of the City of Cambridge or the United Way — just one neighbour’s perspective on civic life.



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