The Rapid Transit Task Force was created by city council to determine what kind of rapid transit options Winnipeg citizens would prefer. Well, that didn't happen.

At the Rapid Transit Task Force open house, held recently, what was presented was a pre-determined option of what the task force considered to be a valid "rapid transit" system. As citizens, all that we were required to do was decide whether we agreed with that plan or not.

Let's call a spade a spade. What the Rapid Transit Task Force is talking about is merely a glorified express bus system.

Please, don't misunderstand me. I am in favour of anything that improves the present public transportation system because I am aware that there are many critics of our present transportation system that would like it to be privatized completely. However, I am absolutely opposed to a "con job" where the public is sold something that is called rapid transit when, in fact it is not. to pass this off as a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system or a Light Railway Transit (LRT) system is a sham!

The so-called rapid transit (LRT) for the downtown is merely a sop thrown to those of us who support a rail transit system, and because it's 10 to 20 years away it will likely never be implemented.

So where does this leave us? Is there any indication that the provincial and federal governments are really prepared to cost share with the city $312 million to improve our present public transportation system, or will nothing come of all of this, resulting, in the long run, in the complete privatization of our transportation system?