Councillor Karen Stintz has issued a statement defending the outcome of Thursday’s confounding vote on transit revenue tools.
The TTC chair describes the council debate, which dragged for two days and at times devolved into bickering and confusion, as “messy” and “difficult but necessary.” She makes the case that although council explicitly rejected most taxes and tolls, it did “leave the door open” for two options. Her statement doesn’t name those options, however. (For the record, they are a sales tax and increased development charges).
Stintz stresses that council never had the authority to impose any new taxes, a job that will be left up to the province. She also argues that Toronto council did no less than Mississauga and other cities in the region, whose governments have also declined to pick their poison when it comes to new transit charges.
Her full statement is below.
Karen Stintz statement on transit tax vote
