Ford’s Scarborough subway push boosted by federal budget
News that Ottawa is committing billions of dollars to infrastructure nationwide prompted Mayor Rob Ford to amp up his push for building a subway line to Scarborough Town Centre.
The mayor said Friday that building a Downtown Relief Line is also important but not as urgent as getting a subway built to Scarborough.
“We should adjust our plans now to make this a faster solution and that means burying the line,” Ford said.
His comments came on the heels of a federal budget commitment on Thursday to spend $47 billion over 10 years for infrastructure nationwide.
“The priority for transit expansion first and foremost is finishing the Sheppard subway,” Ford told the media on Friday.
“We should finish what we started by closing the loop to Don Mills and extending it to Downsview,” Ford said.
He also urged a push to develop waterfront rapid transit.
“Much of Toronto’s development is focused on the waterfront,” Ford said. “We should be working now to ensure rapid transit is in place when and where we need it.”
TTC chair Karen Stintz reacted to the federal budget the previous day by saying that Toronto should tap new federal infrastructure funding to build the long-discussed Downtown Relief Line to take pressure off the Yonge subway.
Stintz said the city should look to Ottawa to pay one third of the $3.2-billion cost of a new subway line between Union and Pape stations.
Stintz was happy to hear the gas tax that Ottawa sends municipalities for transit — $163 million a year in Toronto’s case — will be increased by 2 per cent a year to cover inflation starting next year.
She said the extra gas tax money will help the Toronto Transit Commission buy rolling stock and maintain the existing system.
Asked if she was disappointed there was no big-ticket item for Canada’s largest city, Stintz said it would be naïve to think the federal government would fund an entire subway line.
Under her strategy, Ottawa, the city and the provincial government would each kick in about $1 billion for the downtown relief line.
Councillor Denzil Minnan-Wong stressed the city also needs to reduce repair backlogs in roads and the water department.
“Transit is an important priority, it’s not our only priority,” said Minnan-Wong, chair of the public works committee.
“Our infrastructure backlog as it relates to transportation right now stands around $750 million, including the Gardiner. We also have important projects in our water and wastewater department.”
“If we simply focus all our attention on transit, we risk neglecting the rest of the city’s infrastructure. And I don’t think that’s wise.”
Councilor Doug Ford echoed his brother’s call for a Scarborough transit relief line.
“We need a subway, continue the Sheppard out to Scarborough,” Doug Ford said on Friday. “We’re in favour of a downtown relief line but you cannot ignore the people of Scarborough.”
