The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, M ay 24 ,2 01 8 | 6 The Oakville Beaver, published every Thursday, is a division of the Metroland Media Group Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Torstar Corporation. The Metroland family of newspapers is comprised of more than 80 community publications across Ontario. The Oakville Beaver is a member of the National NewsMedia Council. Complainants are urged to bring their concerns to the attention of the newspaper and, if not satisfied, write The National NewsMedia Council, Suite 200, 890 Yonge St., Toronto, ON M4W 2H2. Phone: 416-340-1981 Web: www.mediacouncil.ca editor@oakvillebeaver.com facebook.com/OakvilleBeav @OakvilleBeaver ABOUT US Oakville Beaver 901 Guelph Line Burlington, ON L7R 3N8 Phone: 289-293-0617 Classifieds: 1-800-263-6480 Digital/Flyer/Retail: 289-293-0624 Letters to the editor All letters must be fewer than 200 words and include your name and telephone number for verification purposes. We reserve the right to edit, condense or reject letters. Delivery For all delivery inquiries, please e-mail kmossman@metroland.com or call 905-631-6095. CONTACT US VP, Regional Publisher Kelly Montague kmontague@metroland.com | 289-293-0614 Director Advertising Daniel Baird dbaird@metroland.com | 289-293-0624 Regional Managing Editor Catherine O'Hara cohara@metroland.com | 289-293-0615 Regional Manager Digital Content Karen Miceli Director of Distribution Charlene Hall Circulation Manager Kim Mossman kmossman@metroland.com | 905-631-6095 Director of Production Mark Dills Regional Production Manager Manny Garcia WHO WE ARE OPINION With less than a month away until the June 7 pro- vincial election, various polls suggest the Progressive Conservatives led by Doug Ford will win a majority government, with the NDP close behind. But what happens if that majority government has been established with less than the majority of Ontario residents voting? According to a Campaign Research poll about 62 per cent of Ontario citizens believe that "the legitimacy of the government is called into question" if less than a majority of eligible votes are cast. Since 1990 when Bob Rae's NDP scored an upset victo- ry, people have been casting fewer votes. In 2003, 2007, and 2011 Ontario has set records for low voter turn- out. In 2011 it was 48.2 per cent, a far cry from the 71 per cent in 1971 when Bill Davis's Progressive Conser- vatives to cruise to victory. In the last provincial election there was a minor uptick in voter turnout at 52 per cent. In ridings across the region, more people did come out to vote than in the previous pro- vincial election. The riding of Oakville recorded the high voter turnout at 57.2 per cent while the former riding of Halton saw a 52.1 per cent turnout - up from 46.2 per cent in 2011. However, while voter turnout inched into majority territory, there are still more than 40 per cent of eligible people who do not vote, putting at risk Ontario's democ- racy. There are a number of reasons proposed for why people don't vote, most notably apathy that their vote doesn't count and that "all the parties are the same." But the most stated reason for not voting, according to Campaign Research, is about one-third of people don't have the proper information. Newcomers and college students assume, sometimes wrongly, they can't vote. In fact, when newcomers discover they are eligible, they vote more often than people who are born in Ontario. There have been discussions about making voting mandatory, an option that Australia has adopted. But rather than blame citizens for not voting, how about the crazy idea that it is the parties and the election struc- ture that needs to do more to encourage people to turn out. For some parties, a strategy of tamped down informa- tion and obfuscating the rules to keep a low voter turn- out is a winning combination. But it is also a recipe for weakening Ontario's democratic system. It is in the interests of voters to be politically informed because the vote that is cast is determining the future of the prov- ince. Salvaging democracy Investing in public infra- structure supports efficient, affordable and sustainable transit services that help Canadians and their fami- lies get to work, school and essential services on time and back home safely at the end of a long day. I was pleased recently to announce that together the federal and provincial gov-federal and provincial gov-f ernments will invest $187 million in the Metrolinx GO Transit Bi-Level Coach Pro- curement project that will support an increase in the number of trains that run along all seven GO Transit corridors to help alleviate congestion for riders. The federal government is providing more than $93 million through the Public Transit Infrastructure Fund (an investment agree- ment between Canada and Ontario), while the province is covering the remaining approximately $94-million cost of 53 bi-level coach trains that will provide fas- ter and more frequent ser- vice on GO. This coach purchase will support the expansion of GO train services and enable Metrolinx to meet forecast service levels beyond 2018. Not only will this project improve passenger mobili- ty, but will also help to im- prove operational efficien- cy, accessibility and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Efficient and sustainable public transit is essential to keeping Oakville one of the most livable communities in Canada. Many people in Halton depend on our GO system for their daily com- mute. The 53 coaches are part of a larger order of 125 trains, with the first deliv- ery of vehicles expected lat- er this year. This is in addi- tion to the bilateral agree- ment announced in March that will see Burlington Transit receive $18 million in federal funding and $14.9 million in provincial fund- ing to expand Burlington Transit. I know how important public transit is to the resi- dents of Oakville and Bur- lington, which is why I cam- paigned in 2015 on strength- ening our public transit in- frastructure. frastructure. f Many residents, includ- ing my family, use GO tran- sit to get to and from work every day. This funding will increase train service to my constituents in Oakville North-Burlington so that they can get to work on time and, at the end of a long day, back home faster to their families.families.f - Pam Damoff is the mem- ber of parliament for Oakville North-Burlington. Investments in transit a boon for local commuters Coach procurement project will help alleviate congestion for riders, says Damoff PAM DAMOFF Column • EDITORIAL • It is in the interests of voters to be politically informed because the vote that is cast is determining the future of the province.