borgo100
Active Member
From Pickering airport to sewers, local politicians have wish lists in hand, ready to kick-start economy
Jan 13, 2009 04:30 AM
As the federal finance department continues pre-budget consultations across the country, GTA municipal leaders are taking the opportunity to offer up infrastructure wish lists – projects that hold the potential to cure long-standing ills while stimulating the local economy.
They have a lot of ground to make up. Underfunding infrastructure has left the GTA with a patchwork transit system and cities with road and water budgets that cannot even cover regular maintenance.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper has said the Jan. 27 budget will result in a deficit of up to $30 billion, much of that the result of spending on infrastructure as a way to kick-start the economy. Local politicians are eager for their piece of the pie.
But there's skepticism as to when, or even whether, the cash will flow.
"The problem with federal funding is that they make announcements but you never see the money," said Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion.
TRANSPORTATION
Who wants it? Everyone. And Toronto is making it a top priority.
Price tag? Billions.
To implement the Metrolinx 25-year regional plan will alone cost $50 billion.
"The number one priority for any federal investment in Toronto is transit," said TTC chair Adam Giambrone. Transportation projects give bang for the buck. First, jobs are created. Then there is the long-term payoff when people can move about more easily. (Estimates put the cost of GTA congestion at more than $2 billion a year.) That leads to more jobs.
More transit also cuts greenhouse gases and air pollution.
Finally, the studies have all been done, thanks to Metrolinx, the provincial agency in charge of the region's transportation, which has pulled together a prioritized plan.
The one thing missing? How to pay for it. The province has committed more than $11 billion, but much more is needed.
Toronto is seeking $6 billion in capital funding to move quickly on the first phases of its Transit City light-rail network. Mississauga's McCallion hopes Ottawa comes to the rescue to address a $52 million overrun on a bus rapid-transit project, caused by the rising costs of steel and asphalt.
PICKERING AIRPORT
Who wants it? East Toronto, Durham.
Price tag? At least $2 billion.
Plans were developed during the 1970s and never entirely dropped, even though lands expropriated decades ago remain farm fields. A final decision on its development is expected this year. Ottawa's money would ensure a federal commitment and possible fast-tracking.
With a catchment area from central Toronto to Belleville, it could replace Pearson for many residents and businesses. Durham officials see it as a key employment centre as businesses set up to take advantage of a new air link.
SEWERS, ROADS, WATER
Who wants them? Everyone.
Price tag? Billions.
Consider this, Toronto's road repair backlog sits at $320 million and Mississauga is, for the first time, considering taking on debt to pay for replacements and upgrades.
They may not be glamorous, but concrete and metal conduits form the backbone of any city, and there isn't one in the GTA that could not use help replacing and rebuilding these things.
"All you need to do is knock on doors to find out that traffic and gridlock are huge issues here," said Halton Region chair Gary Carr, who would fast track plans to expand and repair regional roads and bridges and modernize water and waste-water treatment.
Lloyd Russell, commissioner of finance for York Region, said the municipality would fast-track a sewer project running southeast through Richmond Hill and Markham.
It also hopes to develop a facility to process green bin organic waste.
The fight over just who will pay for all this is heating up. In Halton, politicians are threatening to freeze development until they receive more funding, saying the fees paid by new developments no longer cover the costs of growth.
Other local governments are watching the Halton battle closely.
SUBURBAN REDEVELOPMENT
Who wants it? The regions.
Price tag? Billions of dollars.
With 100,000 people a year settling in the GTA, the province is seeking to curb urban sprawl and demanding higher urban densities. The municipalities that ring Toronto are laying the groundwork for this shift from suburban to urban, focusing on environmentally sound, compactly built, transit- and pedestrian-friendly downtowns with bike paths and jobs close to homes, clustered around downtown regions.
EDUCATION/PRIVATE SECTOR HUBS
Who wants them? Durham.
Price tag? Unknown, but likely in the tens of millions.
Toronto has MaRS, Waterloo has the Perimeter Institute, and now Oshawa wants to develop, around its own University of Ontario Institute of Technology, a business park that links public researchers with private-sector funding and business acumen. "When you think of Waterloo, you think of RIM. We want to create that same atmosphere right here in Oshawa," said Mayor John Gray.
http://www.thestar.com/News/GTA/article/569863
Jan 13, 2009 04:30 AM
As the federal finance department continues pre-budget consultations across the country, GTA municipal leaders are taking the opportunity to offer up infrastructure wish lists – projects that hold the potential to cure long-standing ills while stimulating the local economy.
They have a lot of ground to make up. Underfunding infrastructure has left the GTA with a patchwork transit system and cities with road and water budgets that cannot even cover regular maintenance.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper has said the Jan. 27 budget will result in a deficit of up to $30 billion, much of that the result of spending on infrastructure as a way to kick-start the economy. Local politicians are eager for their piece of the pie.
But there's skepticism as to when, or even whether, the cash will flow.
"The problem with federal funding is that they make announcements but you never see the money," said Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion.
TRANSPORTATION
Who wants it? Everyone. And Toronto is making it a top priority.
Price tag? Billions.
To implement the Metrolinx 25-year regional plan will alone cost $50 billion.
"The number one priority for any federal investment in Toronto is transit," said TTC chair Adam Giambrone. Transportation projects give bang for the buck. First, jobs are created. Then there is the long-term payoff when people can move about more easily. (Estimates put the cost of GTA congestion at more than $2 billion a year.) That leads to more jobs.
More transit also cuts greenhouse gases and air pollution.
Finally, the studies have all been done, thanks to Metrolinx, the provincial agency in charge of the region's transportation, which has pulled together a prioritized plan.
The one thing missing? How to pay for it. The province has committed more than $11 billion, but much more is needed.
Toronto is seeking $6 billion in capital funding to move quickly on the first phases of its Transit City light-rail network. Mississauga's McCallion hopes Ottawa comes to the rescue to address a $52 million overrun on a bus rapid-transit project, caused by the rising costs of steel and asphalt.
PICKERING AIRPORT
Who wants it? East Toronto, Durham.
Price tag? At least $2 billion.
Plans were developed during the 1970s and never entirely dropped, even though lands expropriated decades ago remain farm fields. A final decision on its development is expected this year. Ottawa's money would ensure a federal commitment and possible fast-tracking.
With a catchment area from central Toronto to Belleville, it could replace Pearson for many residents and businesses. Durham officials see it as a key employment centre as businesses set up to take advantage of a new air link.
SEWERS, ROADS, WATER
Who wants them? Everyone.
Price tag? Billions.
Consider this, Toronto's road repair backlog sits at $320 million and Mississauga is, for the first time, considering taking on debt to pay for replacements and upgrades.
They may not be glamorous, but concrete and metal conduits form the backbone of any city, and there isn't one in the GTA that could not use help replacing and rebuilding these things.
"All you need to do is knock on doors to find out that traffic and gridlock are huge issues here," said Halton Region chair Gary Carr, who would fast track plans to expand and repair regional roads and bridges and modernize water and waste-water treatment.
Lloyd Russell, commissioner of finance for York Region, said the municipality would fast-track a sewer project running southeast through Richmond Hill and Markham.
It also hopes to develop a facility to process green bin organic waste.
The fight over just who will pay for all this is heating up. In Halton, politicians are threatening to freeze development until they receive more funding, saying the fees paid by new developments no longer cover the costs of growth.
Other local governments are watching the Halton battle closely.
SUBURBAN REDEVELOPMENT
Who wants it? The regions.
Price tag? Billions of dollars.
With 100,000 people a year settling in the GTA, the province is seeking to curb urban sprawl and demanding higher urban densities. The municipalities that ring Toronto are laying the groundwork for this shift from suburban to urban, focusing on environmentally sound, compactly built, transit- and pedestrian-friendly downtowns with bike paths and jobs close to homes, clustered around downtown regions.
EDUCATION/PRIVATE SECTOR HUBS
Who wants them? Durham.
Price tag? Unknown, but likely in the tens of millions.
Toronto has MaRS, Waterloo has the Perimeter Institute, and now Oshawa wants to develop, around its own University of Ontario Institute of Technology, a business park that links public researchers with private-sector funding and business acumen. "When you think of Waterloo, you think of RIM. We want to create that same atmosphere right here in Oshawa," said Mayor John Gray.
http://www.thestar.com/News/GTA/article/569863
