Transport committee  Well, I think one of the things is not to just look at ridership on a specific train and what existing travel patterns are. I think we need to do modelling that looks at the potential for growth in different modes and the impact that construction of a high-speed rail corridor can have on the need for us to expand our existing highway infrastructure.

Transport committee  I would just agree with Mr. Benson. I think that's an issue that one will need to look at when you look at what the ridership levels will be, what the capital costs are, and what the best technology is.

Transport committee  I see no reason why you shouldn't look at other options where there is sufficient ridership to make a decent business case. I know that in the past the Edmonton-Calgary corridor has been looked at. There's been talk of connections south from Vancouver. Certainly, given the intentions of the new President south of us to promote high-speed rail in a variety of corridors, it makes sense from the perspective of international trade, and certainly trade in professional services, as one example, for us to look at interconnection with the links that are going to be created south of the border.

Transport committee  The contract is expected to be signed probably within the next two or three weeks.

Transport committee  That's correct: Quebec City and the City of Laval. The City of Toronto, we understand, will have some involvement, and the City of Windsor as well.

Transport committee  That's correct. I'm sorry if I did not mention the Ville de Québec. It's involved as well. In fact, it has taken some leadership in this.

Transport committee  They're all served currently by VIA. We want to ensure we have some facts of our own. We think it will provide, in some cases, a useful second opinion to the study being done by the federal government and the provinces, and in other cases it may look at some socio-economic impacts that may not, in fact, be covered by the Ontario-Quebec-Canada study.

Transport committee  Thank you.

Transport committee  I'll do my best. Thank you for the question. We certainly do favour having the capacity for people to commute those distances on a daily basis and to do that without having to consider moving their families. It disrupts our local economies. While we support labour mobility, we're often faced with situations in which professionals who have highly specialized skills are torn between continuing to live in a regional centre or moving to Toronto or Montreal.

Transport committee  Not at all. We feel that we can compete. We feel that there's benefit in being able to have that kind of competition at the local level. I want to address your question about property values. Just before coming down here, I did check, and currently the average price of a single family resale home, as of the last quarter of last year, was $383,000 in Toronto.

Transport committee  Thank you very much. It's a pleasure to be here on behalf of the City of London to speak on the subject of high-speed rail. It is a great pleasure to be here with you today. I would like to speak with you today about London's perspective on high-speed rail. Unfortunately, I am able to address your questions in English only.