Rob Ford’s transit plans are getting so messy he can no longer keep track of who supports him and who doesn’t.
At a town hall in Scarborough Monday night Ford urged his supporters to call their councillors and pressure them to back a subway on Sheppard Ave. He listed off all the Scarborough councillors who were already onside for the decisive vote Wednesday, among them Ward 44 councillor Ron Moeser, who has missed much of this council term due to poor health.
“Councillor Moeser… we don’t know if he’s going to be there, but he’s written a note, and he’s behind us 100 per cent,” Ford said, to enthusiastic applause from the overflowing pro-subway crowd at the Scarborough Town Centre.
It turns out Moeser did write a note, but it wasn’t the one the mayor was expecting. On Tuesday afternoon, TTC chair Karen Stintz posted a letter on her website she said was from Moeser and had been distributed to all her council colleagues. In it, the councillor who is usually a staunch ally of the mayor outlines why he’ll be supporting surface rail instead of the subway Ford wants.
Arguments on the long list he provides include the lack of a concrete funding plan for underground rail on Sheppard, and that the LRT plan will serve more people in Scarborough. He also says he is concerned that any further delay at council would cause the provincial and federal governments to pull the funding they’ve committed to expanding Toronto’s transit system.
“I am aware that people feel strongly on both sides of this issue, but given all the facts, I am supporting an LRT on Sheppard Avenue,” Moeser writes.
In opposing Ford’s plan, he joins fellow Scarborough councillors Raymond Cho, Chin Lee, and Glenn De Baeremaeker, who are expected to back LRT for Sheppard tomorrow.
While Moeser’s surprise letter is a political blow to the mayor, it likely won’t cost him a vote at Wednesday’s session. The councillor confirmed that he requires another operation on his foot, and will not be well enough to attend.
