Fourteen months ago, it would have been unthinkable. But on Wednesday, the Transit City plan Rob Ford declared dead on his first day in office came back to life.
In a 25-18 vote at a specially convened council meeting, councillors recommitted to a 2009 agreement between the city and province that would see a partially above-ground LRT on Eglinton, a surface LRT on Finch West, and a third LRT on the current path of the Scarborough RT. In the same a separate vote, councillors also requested a study on a future rail line on Sheppard.
The vote was a clear rebuke of the mayor’s central election promise to build only underground transit, and comes after major political defeats on the 2012 budget and the waterfront. This latest coup against his agenda was spearheaded by TTC chair Councillor Karen Stintz, with the backing of council leftists, centrists, and the mayor’s deputy speaker, Councillor John Parker.
“This was a common sense compromise,” said Stintz after the vote. “I’m really glad council came together and sent a strong message… about our commitment to building transit and getting shovels in the ground, and getting people home sooner.”
Despite the mayor’s defeat, Stintz refused to claim a victory and described the vote as a win for everyone. The motion she tabled deliberately separated out Sheppard for study in order to leave the mayor a sliver of hope for building his coveted subway there. She told council “we need to stand shoulder to shoulder with the mayor” to determine if building the Sheppard subway is feasible.
But Ford swiftly rejected Stintz’s conciliatory gestures, and immediately scuttled any hope that everyone at City Hall would work towards the approved transit plan. Minutes after the vote he condemned council’s decision and reaffirmed his commitment to building subways instead of surface rail.
“The taxpayers of this city, that’s who I listen to,” Ford said. “They want subways and unfortunately council didn’t listen to them. So we are forging ahead and doing what the taxpayers want me to do.”
Ford said council’s decision was “technically irrelevant” because the province is in charge of building the rail lines, and he’s mayor is confident Premier Dalton McGuinty will go ahead with subways.
Councillor Joe Mihevc, who worked closely with Stintz to resuscitate the LRT plan, was appalled that the mayor would disregard a democratic vote.
“He thinks somehow by becoming mayor, he’s been given the ability and the right to speak for the city of Toronto whenever he wants,” he said. “That isn’t the case ethically, that isn’t the case legally.”
Throughout Wednesday’s council session, the mayor was absent from the chamber for long stretches and missed much of the debate. He did make several efforts to avoid losing the vote however, tabling a motion asking council to refer the issue to an expert panel for another 30 days. It was voted down 19-24.
Earlier, when council came back from lunch Ford and his allies refused to come to the floor for nearly 15 minutes in an apparent attempt to prevent the meeting from resuming. Eventually, Deputy Mayor Doug Holyday returned to his seat, followed by others.
One tactic the mayor didn’t employ was offering a compromise that a majority of councillors could accept. Stintz was in talks with him throughout the day Tuesday, but the two sides couldn’t reach a deal and her plan proved more palatable to council.
The fate of the light rail plan now appears to rest in the hands of Metrolinx, the provincial agency overseeing the $8.4 billion Queen’s Park has committed to building rapid transit in Toronto. Last week, Metrolinx chair J. Robert S. Prichard wrote an open letter to Stintz and the mayor, asking the city to arrive at a single position.
The letter specifically mentioned the mayor must get on board any plan, but late Wednesday transport minister Bob Chiarelli issued a statement that appeared to accept council’s decision to build Transit City.
“As a former Regional Chair and Mayor, I have always respected the will of council, as a whole, to come to a position regarding public transit priorities,” says the statement attributed to Chiarelli, who was mayor of Ottawa from 2001 to 2006. “As time is of the essence, we look to the Mayor and Council to move forward together and help us build public transit.”
It’s unclear whether Chiarelli is aware of the mayor’s comments after the meeting.
Key parts of Stintz’s motion:
- Build Finch West LRT from Spadina subway to Humber College
- Build Eglinton Crosstown LRT from Jane to Kennedy, above ground east of the Don Valley
- Convert Scarborough RT to LRT from Kennedy Station to Sheppard, and later to the Malvern Town Centre
- Convene an expert panel to study the best mode on Sheppard. Recommended panel members: representatives from Metrolinx, the TTC, the Toronto Board of Trade, the Greater Toronto CivicACtion Alliance, David Crombie, Eric Miller, and Dr. Gordon Chong
- Ask the TTC to study possibility of future routes, including a Sheppard LRT to Toronto Zoo, extending the Bloor-Danforth subway to the Scarborough Town Centre, extending the Eglinton Crosstown to Pearson Airport, and a Downtown Relief Line
