Transit City Plan

[lafard]

Metrolinx is apolitical and not accountable to voters.

If it knows any history whatsoever they'll ignore the political changes and keep building, else transit ends up stalled for six more years.

 

[Filip]

Metrolinx is apolitical and not accountable to voters.

If it knows any history whatsoever they'll ignore the political changes and keep building, else transit ends up stalled for six more years.

Metrolinx is a provincial agency. Even if McGuinty won't budge, he'll face the wrath of the electorate in 2011 and Hudak can do whatever he wants, including the dissolution of Metrolinx.

 

[jwill]

If TC is cancelled I don't think its realistic to assume the money is freely available to use for Rob Ford's subways plan. With the province in a fiscal crisis McGuinty isn't going to see billions of dollars coming back and just let it head out the door again. Certainly not if it makes Rob Ford (a conservative) seem like he's getting things done.

 

[Filip]

If TC is cancelled I don't think its realistic to assume the money is freely available to use for Rob Ford's subways plan. With the province in a fiscal crisis McGuinty isn't going to see billions of dollars coming back and just let it head out the door again. Certainly not if it makes Rob Ford (a conservative) seem like he's getting things done.

Then Ford can easily use this argument against McGuinty when election time nears.. You know, the "The people have spoken and demanded subways but the premier retracted transit funding and won't release it". Tim Hudak must be smiling ear to ear.

McGuinty is in between a rock and a hard place right now.

 

[sixrings]

I Hope the sheppard extension was just lies for votes... And the SELRT continues... And the Eglinton Line is built as full subway....

 

[lafard]

Then Ford can easily use this argument against McGuinty when election time nears.. You know, the "The people have spoken and demanded subways but the premier retracted transit funding and won't release it". Tim Hudak must be smiling ear to ear.

McGuinty is in between a rock and a hard place right now.

You're ascribing an awful lot to Tim Hudak, a man who we know relatively little about. We do know he's planning to cut expenses (there was a distinctly gravy-train style ad on CP24 just before results started coming in) so the reality is that cancelling it probably does mean the money is gone.

Eliminating Metrolinx will set transit back in Toronto by another decade. We might actually have some chance of a pseudoregionalized transit system in a few years if it continues to exist.

I doubt Ford is up to the political chess game you're suggesting. He's more apt to realize we've already blown a billion bucks, and also that the province is exceedingly unlikely to cover the cancellation fees, which will probably exceed another half a billion dollars. He is nothing else if not idealistic about saving money and he's not going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

 

[Justin10000]

What Metrolinx says is irrelevant in the face of political reality. It's just a passenger for the next year.

Metrolinx is not answerable to the mayor of Toronto. I do not see why you ignore this fact. Metrolinx already told Ford he can't stop TC, so it's not going to happen.

 

[Dan416]

Now that Ford has been elected, I think you'd have to be daydreaming to think that the SELRT won't be one of his first casualties.

http://www.robfordformayor.ca/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/Transportation-Plan4.pdf

Ford's transit plan is basically finishing the Sheppard Subway from Downsview to STC, and extending the subway from Kennedy to STC via the SRT corridor (leaving aside the feasibility of that for the moment). Both are good transit planning. As for the rest of his plan...it'll be sad to see Sheppard chosen yet again over Eglinton for subway expansion.

 

[Justin10000]

I think you're daydreaming if you think Rob Ford is going to cancel a line the city is not paying a dime for. Shouldn't you be out cheering Hazel's win?

 

[Dan416]

I think you're daydreaming if you think Rob Ford is going to make a sudden reversal on his policy issues and platform.

 

[Justin10000]

Ford already backed down on his promise to repeal the Land Transfer Tax. Game. Set. Match, daydreamer. Stick with 'Suaga and your geriatric mayor.

 

[GenerationW]

Metrolinx is not answerable to the mayor of Toronto. I do not see why you ignore this fact. Metrolinx already told Ford he can't stop TC, so it's not going to happen.

Big hint: Metrolinx will do exactly what the Provincial government tells it to do.

Ford already backed down on his promise to repeal the Land Transfer Tax. Game. Set. Match, daydreamer. Stick with 'Suaga and your geriatric mayor.

Aren't you from Brampton?

 

[lafard]

Rob Ford could give a flying potato about transit. Once someone from TTC shows him, with careful description and a map, that Transit City is not sacrificing a single lane of car traffic, Ford will probably back down.

Again, Metrolinx will do what the province tells them to do. Of course, the province may leave them to do their own thing. I doubt Hudak will interfere with already in progress projects but we know we won't be getting anything new.

 

[Justin10000]

Big hint: Metrolinx will do exactly what the Provincial government tells it to do.

Big Hint: The Elections are not unitil 2011, and who knows what may happen. Either way, the SELRT will be in full construction swing by then, and it's unlikely Hudak will try to cancel a complex funding arrangement.

Aren't you from Brampton?

Born in Brampton. Living in Toronto for quite a long time now.

Toronto is my home,

 

[GraphicMatt]

I think it's unlikely Hudak will run on the promise of delivering transit projects to Toronto. At best, the PCs might pick up three or four seats in the city but that could be offset by what others will see as a big spending promise for Toronto. Why risk it when he's going to win (or lose) the election on the backs of the 905?