salsa
Senior Member
Round and around we go...
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news...ension-as-city-weighs-budget/article16553801/
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news...ension-as-city-weighs-budget/article16553801/
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SJD_Toronto
Active Member
Ugh. This Scarborough transit debate HAS to end. This is a loosing battle for Matlow and others who support the LRT plan. The provincial Liberals have said they will be supporting a subway and will not reopen this debate. The Federal government is also supporting a subway extension. For politicians like Matlow and mayoral candidate David Soknacki, this LRT plan - which is a fine plan - will not happen even if city council goes back to the LRT plan in the next term of council. When the spring election rolls around, the Liberals are still promising a subway in Scarborough and are preparing to built it and if the PCs win, the subway extension WILL STILL happen. This continuous debate is getting very, very tiresome. Just let the subway extension happen.
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datamouse
Active Member
Someone want to explain why the Clerk has said Matlow's motion is in order? I thought revisiting an issue within a year needed 2/3 votes to open.
Palma
Senior Member
datamouse
Active Member
The debate's tiring but it's amazing just how popular going back to the old plan is. It's a great for these candidates to gain volunteers and contributions by appealing to them (not to say that they don't believe their plan is good themselves). Online posters here or on reddit or newspaper sites don't good sample for the entire voting pool but I'm sure you've all seen just how interested some people have gotten in Soknaki's campaign. Soknacki isn't a name people as super familiar with but he's found a way to dash out of the starting gate by taking on this issue.
Palma
Senior Member
So where were these councillors when the vote took place. They voted for LRT along Eglinton and Sheppard so why all of a sudden change of heart on Scarborough
SJD_Toronto
Active Member
I suspect that once Olivia Chow, Karen Stintz and possibly John Tory each officially declare their own mayoral runs, Soknaki's name will fade away into the background. Chow, Stintz and Tory each have the best campaign people (John Laschinger working with Olivia Chow, Dave Gene and Don Guy working with Karen Stintz and Nick Kouvalis working with John Tory) working for them and helping shape up each campaign on issues and messages.
Palma
Senior Member
It would be great if Tory took the same stance (if he runs). Just for the fact of that Scarborough LRT/subway debate, I would prefer no one else enter.
SJD_Toronto
Active Member
If Tory runs, I have no doubt he'll back the Bloor-Danforth extension.
WislaHD
Superstar
Why is it automatically assumed that the provincial plan will go through ahead of a reverted LRT plan backed by council? Is it because the LRT plan is still to be funded by the provincial government?
innsertnamehere
Superstar
Which is the correct thing to do really, even if you oppose the subway. Political realities with the province make the LRT dead, like it or not. If you were to cut municipal funding for it we would end up with Murray's craptacular subway to STC that does nobody any good.
rbt
Senior Member
There is no contract which requires the city invest that money in that manner and there won't be until the subway EA is complete and a full cost has been determined.
Worth noting, the city is expected to kick in $1B and pay for all cost overruns. If the project comes in 33% higher than the current estimate (not unusual, it's very early) then it's $2B for the city's share; nearly a 60% increase in debt load.
The federal money is general purpose funding, easily directed at Gardiner repairs, Waterfront plans, or nearly any other piece of infrastructure. Montreal's share is going into bridge repairs and most other municipalities are doing bridge/road work.
In short, the city can pull their funding commitment at any time. If others want to step in and cover the difference I don't think the city would complain (Mississauga would and should; their entire LRT plan could be covered by that money).
I think this is the most likely result. The EA (soil testing, additional engineering, etc.) will inevitably bump the total cost up which results in an additional property tax bump for the new mayor to implement for the Ford subway. I don't think Stintz can win if Tory and Chow run; I'm not sure Ford would pull another 3% from his hat when Gardiner is going to require 3% of its own.
In the best case the next mayor is looking at an 11% property tax bump if they don't do anything of their own.
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innsertnamehere
Superstar
I doubt we will see too many increases in price, the current estimate is rather high and the extension is rather basic.
Dan416
Senior Member
I'm beginning to really dislike Josh Matlow.
innsertnamehere
Superstar
I want to like him, as he fought Fords nonsense about the subway in council, but the subway is the better choice in the end. His hate towards the OMB sort of annoys me as well.