Adding a $4-billion insult to injury: Dalton McGuinty kicks the TTC while it’s down
Dalton McGuinty and Dwight “The Blight” Duncan dealt a huge blow to GTA public transit in their budget yesterday. Provincial funding for the futuristic Transit City plan is being cut, while dollars will flow north—way north—to encourage old-time industries like mining. “The discovery of chromite in the Ring of Fire could be as big as the discovery of nickel was in Sudbury in the 19th century,” said the finance minister in his speech. Turns out that chromite is a key ingredient in stainless steel, and that the Ring of Fire is a patch of land about 500 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay (with no relation to Johnny Cash).
As for Toronto, the Star is reporting that the government is asking Metrolinx to delay $9.3 billion worth of transit plans that have already been announced:
Projects likely to proceed include the Union-Pearson-Georgetown GO Transit link, the Sheppard light-rail transit line and the York University line, government officials said.
But the austerity moves could affect five planned projects: rapid-transit lines for Finch Avenue West, Sheppard Avenue East and the Scarborough RT, along with the Eglinton Avenue cross-town line and an expansion of York Region’s Viva service.
Cutting billions from GTA transit while spending almost $200 million to build a stainless steel bridge to the 19th century sounds like an odd priority, but at least Toronto’s vibrant body piercing industry won’t run out of quality surgical steel.
• Miller decries transit delays in Ontario budget [Toronto Star]
• Liberals eye Ontario’s northern resource riches [Toronto Star]
Dalton is a BIG JOKE
Wow. Not only is the province screwing the residents of this city, but reneging on promises made for the 2015 PanAm Games too. I think we’re accustomed and resigned to being reviled by the rest of the country, but now our own premier? Enough already. When will we ever get to keep and benefit from some of our own tax dollars instead of perpetually propping up everybody that doesn’t appreciate this city or what we, as citizens, give (willingly or not)? When will we stop looking bush league to the rest of the world because of double reverse suck-backs like this? McGuinty, your time is so over.
To reply to the previous post – Toronto’s time is so over if we don’t realize that for us to be successful – so do the rest of the deserving inhabitants of this province. The First Nations and communities in the north have a huge opportunity with the Ring of Fire discovery to bring new jobs, education, development of the area and prosperity to all their people. The more successful they are – the more successful Toronto will be. You want a balanced budget – we have to more evenly balance the prosperity of all Ontario residents.
Toronto transit does need funding from the federal government to improve aging infrastructure.A big vibrant city like Toronto cannot continue to contribute without getting its share of funding.
In addition TTC should look at efficiency. Always wondered why certain stations, Islington is one of them, three staff at certain time of the day, one in each of the two booths and one in the center drinking coffee and watching people drop fares into the fare box. Is this using staff to their optimum? With the Variety stores and drug stores selling tokens and passes riders can go through turnstiles without using the fare box.One or two of these three people could be out driving buses or doing other work. Secondly TTC workers should deliver value such as respect and service to the riders. Thirdly TTC workers should become an essential service so the city is not held hostage every round of negotiation.
Toronto transit does need funding from the federal government to improve aging infrastructure. A big vibrant city like Toronto cannot continue to contribute without getting its share of funding.
In addition TTC should look at efficiency. Always wondered why certain stations, Islington is one of them, three staff at certain time of the day, one in each of the two booths and one in the center drinking coffee and watching people drop fares into the fare box. Is this using staff to their optimum? With the Variety stores and drug stores selling tokens and passes riders can go through turnstiles without using the fare box. One or two of these three people could be out driving buses or doing other work. Secondly TTC workers should deliver value such as respect and service to the riders. Thirdly TTC workers should become an essential service so the city is not held hostage every round of negotiation.
@honestly, I agree, the TTC should look at how to run the system more efficiency. With the New lines, I doubt the system will be more efficient. I probably see the cost to run the new lines will balloon the TTC budget even further.
Having teired services, surface routes vs. subway, increasing automated fares, more automated metropass/token turnstiles ( only 1-2 at a station is ridiculous), zones may help, maybe not. But the system hasnt changed the 15 years I’ve used the TTC.
Why is it that GM was able to get $3.5 billion from the Ontario government in just weeks? In the one year that Ontario announced funding for Transit City, they decided it was an oops! When Ontario gets the money back from GM, hand it over to Metrolinx to build Transit City. That is not counting the money given to Chrysler.
And what about the highway extensions and widenings. Have any of those been canceled or delayed?
Maybe it is time for a new political party to form, along the lines of the Bloc Quebecois, it’s time for Toronto to form it’s own party – The Toronto Party.
With 23 of 107 provincial seats within its boundary, Toronto comprises of 21% of the MLAs sent to Queens Park.
In the last election, the bulk of those seats went to the Liberals, with a handful to the NDP. If most or all of those 23 seats went to the Toronto Party, neither Liberals or PCs would likely be able to form a majority government, with the Toronto Party holding the balance of power, where the interests of Toronto must be taken into consideration for every political decision.
It’s time for the rest of Ontario to listen to the needs of Toronto instead of milking the city for all its worth!
A new political bloc or independence for Toronto now!
So worse public transportation, but more private (georgetown air rail link) transportation? So, fewer easy ways to get around our very hard to get around city, but hundreds of express DIESEL trains to our city from pearson? So, why not cancel the highspeed DIESEL air rail link that has so many upset? Ohhhh, right- it’s going to be run by SNC Lavalin who supported the liberal government with donations and have a deal that “cannot” be broken.. Nice.. People, not only are we getting taxed like crazy, but we are paying it into private pockets for little benefit and lots of pollution. Those trains are not going to remove many cars.. It’s for tourists and buisiness execs. Not you and me. each way is about $30-$40. I’ll take a limo, thanks.
Another thing.. George Smitherman?? Isn’t he McGuinty’s right hand man? Let’s see here.. Miller = Transit city (aka improve ttc for you and me), but he’s leaving. His protege is leaving everything because of a certain private scandal. And now Smitherman is in the race who was a provincial LIBERAL. Puppet. Goodbye Toronto. We are going to have no voice if he get’s in.
I think we can look upon this as a great step backward for urban renewal and a great step forward for urban decay. Let’s just also recall that SNC Lavalin are the ones who run the 407. And also until very recently were supplies most of the small arms ammunition to the U.S. in Iraq. How much BS are we going to have to put up with? I know Toronto is the city that Canadian love to hate, but come on already! check out http://www.cleantrain.ca as a good example of people fighting to improve our city.