Prime Minister Mark Carney and Premier Doug Ford made a series of joint announcements Monday morning, alongside Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow.
The announcements included a joint funding agreement to partially fund development charge reductions for any municipality that commits to reducing their fees by an amount between 30 to 50 per cent (the provincial government has not determined its final requirement), HST rebates for new homes, and a reannouncement of the 2021 commitment to Ontario’s GTHA priority transit projects.
Priority transit projects in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA): execute federal contribution agreements on announced transit projects, including the Ontario Line, Eglinton Crosstown West Extension, Scarborough Subway Extension, Yonge North Subway Extension and Hamilton LRT.
In 2021, the federal and provincial governments agreed to fund the Hamilton LRT on a 50-50 cost share for up to $3.2-billion. However, the final contribution agreement has not been executed.
Federal Minister of Housing and Infrastructure Gregor Robertson, during a visit to Hamilton in November 2025, stated the federal government “stands behind” the commitment, adding “I’m sure the people of Hamilton would love to be getting around on LRT sooner. So in my role as minister, I’ll be doing what I can to help speed things along.”
As of the end of 2025, $243-million has been spent on the Hamilton LRT project.
According to a January 2026 Metrolinx update, an announcement of the Package 1 Civils and Utilities contract—the substantial construction contract—was nearly complete, with announcement expected in the near future.
Included in the January Metrolinx update was an estimate that Mississauga’s two-kilometre LRT “downtown loop” extension will cost $3.2-billion. Hamilton’s LRT is 13 kilometres, nearly six times the size as this downtown loop.
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Published: March 30, 2026
Last updated: March 30, 2026
Author: Joey Coleman
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