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I just heard on the radio that Ford will be calling a council meeting the day after Metrolinx's big meeting to assess which of their fundraising strategies are most likely to be implemented. The problem is, without input from City Council (and Ford has set things up this way on purpose because he doesn't like Metrolinx's plan) Metrolinx cannot really move forward. All they have now are assurances by the Premier of a minority government that is facing an imminent election that she backs their plan. Obviously, that's not enough. The NDP think transit expansion should be paid for entirely with increases to corporate taxes, while the Tories are stuck on the same pipe dream as Ford - that private industry, after decades of not contributing a dime to transit expansion, is suddenly going to shell out billions of dollars for it. Both parties are wrong, and only the Provincial Liberals seem to realize that Metrolinx's plan is the only real possibility of ensuring that the Big Move actually takes place. But it is hard to imagine them getting the majority government they'll need to back it.
The only other hope for Metrolinx's Big Move would be consensus by the GTA's municipalities, only one of which - Mississauga - is willing to contribute money to. The major player - Toronto - is hampered by a whiny mayor who didn't get his way on subways that the city could never have afforded and which would have been as empty as the Sheppard Stubway if built, and is now saying that the taxpayers of one of the wealthiest cities in the world simply cannot afford the extra taxes and fees that would need to be levied to move forward with the plan. Apparently his delerium tremens have made him think that a casino that will barely contribute more than $10 million a year to the city's coffers is the answer to all of our problems. The casino has become more important to him than transit expansion. Of course, the mayors of the other GTA municipalities whose resident suffer as much as anyone from the region's gridlock, refuse to spend a dime on what they believe is Toronto's problem.
The result is: Only one major player supports the Big Move, and they don't have the power at this time to implement the taxes, fees and tolls necessary to raise the money. I cannot foresee them winning the majority government needed to move forward with the only realistic plan on offer - the one Metrolinx has created.
Meanwhile, other municipal leaders are loathe to levy and taxes, fees or tolls on their residents because these things are always unpopular, and it doesn't seem to matter to them that gridlock is choking this entire region and undermining our economy and quality of life.
As for Ford, I suspect he is still bitter that city council shut down his plan for subways into the boroughs and is refusing to back a plan that wasn't his, even if it is the best, most feasible plan on offer. As an anti-tax, right-leaning mayor, he is using his inner circle to sabotage Metrolinx's plans for the Big Move.
So it looks like Toronto and the GTA will remain stuck 40 years in the past, without an expanded transit system to ease gridlock on our roads and highways, despite the fact that just about EVERYONE wants transit expansion.
So what do you think is going to happen, because from where I'm standing, it does not look good
Ford is a disgrace. He actually quoted a Fraser Institute "study" (lol!) that claimed people spend more in taxes than on necessities and that's why we can't have new taxation revenues for transit.
This idea that we can make massive investments in transit without raising people paying one more penny in taxes is delusional and reckless.
We're not quite in catastrophic mode...yet, but we lost a lot of ground over the last 20 years with Harris downloading and amalgamation and then McGuinty turning on Miller on Transit City file and we need to act.
Hard to blame Ford solely for Toronto's transportation #@$#@up when he's only been in office for under 2 years and Miller was Mayor for 7.
I'm talking about what's happening NOW, not in the past, and I'm not just blaming Ford for this problem. Furthermore, Metrolinx's Big Move plan was not on the table when Miller was in office, or I'm pretty sure he would have supported it. I believe it was under his administration that Metrolinx was created and it was him who got the ball rolling on expanded transit in Toronto.
I can't blame a man who is no longer in office for the actions of the man who currently is.
Miller at least had Transit City...it was McGuinty who had turned on him. What I blame Miller for is never doing anything about a Downtown Relief Line which is the subway line the city needs most. My guess is he was afraid of being labelled as "favoring downtown" even though the line would benefit everybody.
But Ford is the mayor now...and his whole purpose in life is to throw mud in the gears in terms of making any public improvements in this city.
I am all for increased taxes and stuff for expansion of our transit system in old city of Toronto, but not in the so called GTA. If people in Markham, Brampton and Missauaga want rapid access to downtown TO, they should pay for it. I probably will never need to go to any of these places.
I am within 15 minutes distance to pretty much everything including work, so if we are stuck for another 40 years, so be it. I don't need a car, or the TTC.
Miller at least had Transit City...it was McGuinty who had turned on him. What I blame Miller for is never doing anything about a Downtown Relief Line which is the subway line the city needs most. My guess is he was afraid of being labelled as "favoring downtown" even though the line would benefit everybody.
But Ford is the mayor now...and his whole purpose in life is to throw mud in the gears in terms of making any public improvements in this city.
transit city is a half assed cheap solution to Toronto's nightmare.
I mean, more 501s and 505s will help move people? Take a look at Queen and Dundas. Transit City is a good start, but IMO should be killed.
speaking of DRL, why would people be stupid enough to believe that the line will benefit downtowners?? I live in the very core, and how often will I need this line to go to anywhere on this line? For what? DRL is essentially a line dedicated to the suburban people who have to be jampacked into the Yonge line on a daily basis. It provides marginal benefit to downtown residents.
speaking of DRL, why would people be stupid enough to believe that the line will benefit downtowners??
Many people do.
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