u
That's not true, at all. Thanks to Toronto's convoluted and regressive tax system, most residents in Toronto are actually subsidized by businesses - where both residents and non-residents contribute to the sky-high property tax rates - and by people who live in rental apartments and pay triple the single-residential tax rate.
So, City of Toronto & fares are the main sources of revenue for the TTC.
Because their subway system serves five different municipalities.
Which all pay the O&M costs annually, which York Region isn't doing
They don't take an "us-first" mentality towards transit.And on top of that, the gas tax for the Montreal area doesn't fund the Montreal Metro - it's funded solely by the Montreal Administrative Region, which doesn't include Longueuil or Laval. The gas tax only provides funding for the AMT system.
http://www.stm.info/fr/presse/commu...uts------du-transport-en-commun-metropolitain
Translation of the main points:
- The Metro is unanimously considered to be a metropolitan equipment, and the City of Montreal and the STM propose a formula that imputes 67% of the deficit of the metro (O&M) to the municipalities of the agglomeration of Montréal (Montreal Island) and 33% to the other municipalities members of The CMM. (ALL 83 surrounding suburbs)"
- Concerning the extension of the métro section to Laval, Mr. Trudel concluded by stating: "... because I want things to be very clear for everyone: the Montréal metro, because it is Montréal and not Laval, will not travel to Laval until the issue of funding for this section has been resolved to the satisfaction of the City and the STM. "
So I beg to differ. They got the "Sorbora" treatment from Quebec City for the Laval subway extension they didn't want. They wanted the blue line to Anjou which is like our Scarborough, but the Laval vote was too hard to resist. As you can see, Montreal considers the Metro as "Montreal Metro". There was a funding dispute over the Laval section and Montreal concluded that although the province built it, Montreal and the STM had no obligation to let the trains enter Laval unless they get a compensation. Quebec resolved the issue very fast and Montreal got their money.
But they got the suburbs to pay their share of the O&M by having it recognize as a "metropolitan equipment", which they unanimously agreed to. With that kind of attitude, there's a better cooperation atmosphere in the region regarding public transit as they are working together on the REM project. We can't say that York Region councillors crying in all the news papers
DEMANDING for the subway and
"F" the reports on the Yonge line being overcrowded is on the same level maturity-wise as the Montreal suburbs. At least they understand that keeping Montreal moving with a fast, well funded and reliable subway is good for Montreal and
if Montreal thrive, they all thrive!
Do you know what's the latest joke in Montreal?
The only way to have a seat on the Orange line or to get to work on time, is to move to Laval!!! Sorry sir, but the "selfish" attitude you're accusing Toronto of having should be directed at York Region who's desperate to become a major city by creating a new downtown out of thin air and density on the back of Toronto and its citizens knowing full well that the current network can't handle it. But hey, at least the rich Laval commuters can sit on the trains while less fortunate riders in Montreal-Nord and Rivieres-des-Prairies can keep commuting to the orange line on buses like cattle so they see Laval residents getting on the metro while they already have commuter trains...interesting. I wonder why Paris doesn't do the same...they must be morons with their RER concept
So it shouldn't be about the 905 telling Toronto that they have to extend the subway to them because they pay fares or some of them pay business taxes in Toronto or through a portion of the gas tax. It's about recognizing that if Toronto doesn't fix its public transit infrastructure with mass expansion, the city will choke under its own congestion. All this time and productivity loss costs Toronto billions and makes it less attractive for all kind of investment that will go elsewhere. Sorry to break it to you, but they'll go to Montreal, Vancouver or major US cities, not Richmond Hill or Markham. Toronto suffers...guess what, so will the whole 905 and the rest of Ontario. So it's in the 905 interest that Toronto stays as attractive, more attractive as ever so more investments comes which beneficiates the 905 cities as well.
So unless those York Region politicians
"grows the F up", I applaud the City of Toronto on their stance on the York Region subway. They should go further and get exactly what Montreal got as well, and then, and only then, will Torontonians support projects like Richmond Hill.
Thank you
Sincerely,
an humble Toronto Taxpayer