nfitz
Superstar
Hey, I'm still trying to hold on to mine until 2010 to take advantage of Network 2010!
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Province eyes Metrolinx shakeup
- Thread starter W. K. Lis
- Start date
TOareaFan
Superstar
Hey, I'm still trying to hold on to mine until 2010 to take advantage of Network 2010!
That is the upside to slow moving infrastructure upgrades/projects.....when something gets done and you say "I remember when that was announced" it really means something!!!
DavidH
Senior Member
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090330.wprichard0330/BNStory/National/home
Legislation to merge GO and Metrolinx will be introduced today. The new board will have 15 members. Rob Prichard, formerly of Torstar, will be the new chief executive. Presumably this means that the province has recognized that the current Metrolinx structure is not ideal, which is why they are not simply proclaiming the current GTTA Act section on this.
Not sure what this will truly accomplish, though. GO doesn't need new oversight to accomplish its goals; it simply needs the funding.
Legislation to merge GO and Metrolinx will be introduced today. The new board will have 15 members. Rob Prichard, formerly of Torstar, will be the new chief executive. Presumably this means that the province has recognized that the current Metrolinx structure is not ideal, which is why they are not simply proclaiming the current GTTA Act section on this.
Not sure what this will truly accomplish, though. GO doesn't need new oversight to accomplish its goals; it simply needs the funding.
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waterloowarrior
Senior Member
Former Torstar CEO to oversee GO, Metrolinx merger
KAREN HOWLETT AND JEFF GRAY
Globe and Mail Update
March 30, 2009 at 1:14 PM EDT
Toronto — Rob Prichard, the outgoing chief executive officer of Torstar Corp., will oversee the merger of GO Transit and Metrolinx.
The Ontario government plans to unveil legislation later on Monday to merge the rapid transit system with the agency. Mr. Prichard, who announced his departure from Torstar last month, has been named transition adviser for the merger. He will become chief executive officer of the new entity once the merger is complete.
Metrolinx chairman Rob MacIsaac and GO Transit chairman Peter Smith will also serve on the transitional board of directors. The new Metrolinx board will consist of 15 members.
Toronto Mayor David Miller will remain on the Metrolinx board until the merger goes through. At that point, a new board will be appointed, a government source said. No sitting politicians would be appointed to the new board, which is to be made up of of planning and transportation experts.
That move would see an end to the role played Mr. Miller, Mississauga mayor Hazel McCallion and other greater Toronto area municipal politicians, now on the Metrolinx board.
Asked about this possibility in recent weeks, Mr. Miller had strongly criticized the idea, saying that the region's public transportation system would be more accountable under the control of a board of mostly local politicians.
But the Toronto Board of Trade and others have been urging for a Metrolinx board made up of private-sector experts instead of local politicians.
The government says the proposed merger would help get shovels in the ground faster on new transit projects. This would lead to thousands more construction jobs over the coming years.
“Metrolinx has done an excellent job building the agency and preparing a regional transportation plan,” Transportation Minister Jim Bradley said in a statement. “By bringing Metrolinx together with experienced transit-builder GO, we will be able to take transportation plans off the drawing board and into service more quickly.”
In 2007, the B.C. government made a similar controversial move with its Vancouver-region transportation body, TransLink, scrapping a board of local politicians and replacing it with unelected experts. (TransLink must now clear fare increases and other major moves through a new regional mayors' council.) The new TransLink board moved swiftly both to hold its formerly public meetings behind closed doors and to give it self a pay hike, raising its per-meeting stipdend for board members to $1,200 -- six times what the old board received.
KAREN HOWLETT AND JEFF GRAY
Globe and Mail Update
March 30, 2009 at 1:14 PM EDT
Toronto — Rob Prichard, the outgoing chief executive officer of Torstar Corp., will oversee the merger of GO Transit and Metrolinx.
The Ontario government plans to unveil legislation later on Monday to merge the rapid transit system with the agency. Mr. Prichard, who announced his departure from Torstar last month, has been named transition adviser for the merger. He will become chief executive officer of the new entity once the merger is complete.
Metrolinx chairman Rob MacIsaac and GO Transit chairman Peter Smith will also serve on the transitional board of directors. The new Metrolinx board will consist of 15 members.
Toronto Mayor David Miller will remain on the Metrolinx board until the merger goes through. At that point, a new board will be appointed, a government source said. No sitting politicians would be appointed to the new board, which is to be made up of of planning and transportation experts.
That move would see an end to the role played Mr. Miller, Mississauga mayor Hazel McCallion and other greater Toronto area municipal politicians, now on the Metrolinx board.
Asked about this possibility in recent weeks, Mr. Miller had strongly criticized the idea, saying that the region's public transportation system would be more accountable under the control of a board of mostly local politicians.
But the Toronto Board of Trade and others have been urging for a Metrolinx board made up of private-sector experts instead of local politicians.
The government says the proposed merger would help get shovels in the ground faster on new transit projects. This would lead to thousands more construction jobs over the coming years.
“Metrolinx has done an excellent job building the agency and preparing a regional transportation plan,” Transportation Minister Jim Bradley said in a statement. “By bringing Metrolinx together with experienced transit-builder GO, we will be able to take transportation plans off the drawing board and into service more quickly.”
In 2007, the B.C. government made a similar controversial move with its Vancouver-region transportation body, TransLink, scrapping a board of local politicians and replacing it with unelected experts. (TransLink must now clear fare increases and other major moves through a new regional mayors' council.) The new TransLink board moved swiftly both to hold its formerly public meetings behind closed doors and to give it self a pay hike, raising its per-meeting stipdend for board members to $1,200 -- six times what the old board received.
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nfitz
Superstar
Given that GO completely overwhelms Metrolinx, for all effects and purposes, a merger simply adds a regional planning and funding arm to GO.
So not only will GO become the agency with all the money, it will also have the a mechanism that it could also start financing itself through something like tolling. And the new board, sounds like the existing GO Board, not the Metrolinx board.
Seems to me like GO will have all the money it needs. And perhaps even an incentive to work better with local transit; we've all accused TTC of not working with GO before ... but it goes both ways - GO has not even attempted to move the Oriole station closer to the TTC Leslie subway station yet ... TTC has done everything they can do to connect to the rail line ...
DavidH
Senior Member
Good points; I'm still digesting this. You're right that this seems like a reverse-takeover in terms of structure, if not the identities of the specific board members, with the goal of tying regional planning, integration, and hopefully funding directly to GO. It also removes a level of bureaucracy for GO, at least, in that projects won't have to go to a separate organization for approval.
The interesting question is whether the legislation will enable Metrolinx to do anything else. Are takeovers of local systems on the horizon? Will Metrolinx gain direct funding capabilities (e.g. tolls)? I suspect we don't know the full story about where this is going yet.
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AlvinofDiaspar
Moderator
It shall be interesting to see who these experts are, and just how independent the board will be in the context of the relationship between Metrolinx and the province.
AoD
AoD
DavidH
Senior Member
I wonder if RedRocket191 should get his name in...
AlvinofDiaspar
Moderator
From Gov of ON News:
Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area Transit Implementation Act, 2009
March 30, 2009 1:18 PM
The Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area Transit Implementation Act, 2009 is Ontario's transit proposal for creating a single agency and a regional network for the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA). The proposed legislation fulfills the original intent of the act that created Metrolinx in 2006. The proposed legislation brings together the strategy and planning expertise of Metrolinx and The Big Move regional transportation plan it developed, with GO Transit's strong track record in the delivery and implementation of rapid transit projects and in managing and developing GO bus and rail networks.
Ontario helped pave the way for the implementation of The Big Move with a commitment of $744.2 million in the 2008 Budget to fund all of Metrolinx's Quick Win projects.
A board of directors with professional and corporate experience in customer service, planning, law and financing large capital projects is a model found with other large transit agencies around the world.
The proposed legislation requires Metrolinx to be guided by the regional transportation plan to ensure those projects in the plan are built expeditiously. The province would, if legislation is passed, be able to issue the Transportation Planning Policy Statements for guiding transportation planning at the municipal level.
Key Elements of the Proposal
CONTACTS
Bob Nichols
Communications Branch
416-327-1158
Bob.Nichols@nullontario.ca
Nicole Lippa-Gasparro
Minister's Office
416-327-1815
Nicole.Lippa-Gasparro@nullontario.ca
http://www.news.ontario.ca/mto/en/2...ton-area-transit-implementation-act-2009.html
AoD
Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area Transit Implementation Act, 2009
March 30, 2009 1:18 PM
The Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area Transit Implementation Act, 2009 is Ontario's transit proposal for creating a single agency and a regional network for the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA). The proposed legislation fulfills the original intent of the act that created Metrolinx in 2006. The proposed legislation brings together the strategy and planning expertise of Metrolinx and The Big Move regional transportation plan it developed, with GO Transit's strong track record in the delivery and implementation of rapid transit projects and in managing and developing GO bus and rail networks.
Ontario helped pave the way for the implementation of The Big Move with a commitment of $744.2 million in the 2008 Budget to fund all of Metrolinx's Quick Win projects.
A board of directors with professional and corporate experience in customer service, planning, law and financing large capital projects is a model found with other large transit agencies around the world.
The proposed legislation requires Metrolinx to be guided by the regional transportation plan to ensure those projects in the plan are built expeditiously. The province would, if legislation is passed, be able to issue the Transportation Planning Policy Statements for guiding transportation planning at the municipal level.
Key Elements of the Proposal
- GO Transit and Metrolinx merge into a single transit agency to build more transit faster.
- Ontario taxpayers, through Metrolinx, to own selected new regional transit infrastructure. Ontario would have greater control of valuable transit assets funded largely through the provincial government.
- Up to 15 members on board of directors for new organization draw on professional and corporate experience to implement a regional transit network.
- Transition advisor and Transition Advisory Board support merger and help bring two organizations together.
- Minister of Transportation issues transportation planning policy statements based on Regional Transportation Plan and municipalities to align transportation plans accordingly.
- Metrolinx consults with all municipalities in the GTHA on any changes to the plan.
CONTACTS
Bob Nichols
Communications Branch
416-327-1158
Bob.Nichols@nullontario.ca
Nicole Lippa-Gasparro
Minister's Office
416-327-1815
Nicole.Lippa-Gasparro@nullontario.ca
http://www.news.ontario.ca/mto/en/2...ton-area-transit-implementation-act-2009.html
AoD
AlvinofDiaspar
Moderator
So basically, without reading into the legislation itself (will post when it's up) - the province will be able to own some of the projects funded and can change the plan unilaterally (albeit with consultations with the municipalities). Would they be able to own projects with mixed-funded from other levels of government?
AoD
PS: List of transition advisory board members available here:
http://www.news.ontario.ca/mto/en/2009/03/biographies-of-metrolinx-transition-advisory-board.html
AoD
PS: List of transition advisory board members available here:
http://www.news.ontario.ca/mto/en/2009/03/biographies-of-metrolinx-transition-advisory-board.html
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DavidH
Senior Member
It also sounds as if the province will compel municipalities to follow the RTP.
DavidH
Senior Member
I can confirm that the new agency will be called "Metrolinx" but "GO Transit" will remain as an operational brand.
DavidH
Senior Member
The bill page is here, but the text is not yet availlable. We know it has passed first reading, though.
http://www.ontla.on.ca/web/bills/bills_detail.do?locale=en&BillID=2167
EDIT: Text is there now. Some quick notes:
1) Metrolinx's official name will become "Metrolinx" and it will lose the "GTTA" formal name.
2) fare increases require notice to the government
3) Minister may make policy statements based on plans; muncipalities are constrained to follow. Municipalities local plans must also follow Metrolinx plan.
4) Elected officials are banned from the board. The province appoints the board with no municipal input.
Lots of other stuff there; it will take a careful reading but there seems to be an intent to "get on with things".
http://www.ontla.on.ca/web/bills/bills_detail.do?locale=en&BillID=2167
EDIT: Text is there now. Some quick notes:
1) Metrolinx's official name will become "Metrolinx" and it will lose the "GTTA" formal name.
2) fare increases require notice to the government
3) Minister may make policy statements based on plans; muncipalities are constrained to follow. Municipalities local plans must also follow Metrolinx plan.
4) Elected officials are banned from the board. The province appoints the board with no municipal input.
Lots of other stuff there; it will take a careful reading but there seems to be an intent to "get on with things".
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nfitz
Superstar
The text of the legislation is up - http://www.ontla.on.ca/bills/bills-files/39_Parliament/Session1/b163.pdf
Reading the legislation, it effectively takes the Metrolinx legislation (Greater TorontoTransportation Authority Act) and revises it somewhat - including renaming it as the Metrolinx Act. And the notes indicate that all the section of the existing Act that are yet to be proclaimed (including repealing the GO Transit Act) will be proclaimed, except for a small clause relating to Metrolinx's duties regarding a unified fare system).
Reading the legislation, it effectively takes the Metrolinx legislation (Greater TorontoTransportation Authority Act) and revises it somewhat - including renaming it as the Metrolinx Act. And the notes indicate that all the section of the existing Act that are yet to be proclaimed (including repealing the GO Transit Act) will be proclaimed, except for a small clause relating to Metrolinx's duties regarding a unified fare system).
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Anth
Active Member
This is the best news I've seen on here in a very long time, though I can't help but wonder if municipalities will simply be "constrained to follow" the plans they already submitted and had rubber stamped previously.