Transit Expansion Will Roll Regardless Of Election: Mayors
Posted June 15, 2007 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The ambitious and expensive transit announcement unveiled by the Liberals Friday will go through whether you vote for them or not in the next election. That’s the fervent declaration – and hope – of Mayor David Miller, who believes the $17.5 billion expansion plan is not only good news but an outright necessity.
The proposals were put forth by the Grits but there’s no guarantee they’ll ever come to pass if Dalton McGuinty and his minions aren’t put back into power by voters next October. But Miller doesn’t buy that theory. “I can’t see the other parties opposing it,” he demurs. “Look at cities like Madrid. They have built 117 kilometres of subways in the past few years. Our strategy is light rail dense. But we should have built this 20 years ago. We can’t wait and what this strategy does is make it happen now in real time … I can’t see any other party changing that plan.”
Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion has also boarded the provincial transit bus. “We could become the best transit system in North America if we implement [it] … It means that we can get on with the projects that we have had in mind but didn’t know where the money was coming from to do them. Today we got the answer.”
York Region chair Bill Fisch agrees this is a done deal either way. “I think this will happen no matter what happens,” he insists. “The cat is out of the hat right now. More importantly climate change and air quality and quality of life, that’s what’s really driving this more than anything else, and no turning back in my opinion.”
It appears the predictors are right about one thing – all the other major parties agree the transit plans are needed and overdue. But neither believe you’ll ever see any of them happen. The Conservatives are warning voters not to be taken in by this sudden largesse. “I think it’s another promise made at election time and this premier and this government does not have a good record on fulfilling promises,” reminds Tory critic Joyce Savoline. “Although the plan is ambitious and is something the province needs, I don’t have confidence in it.”
The N.D.P. – made up of known transit supporters – has similar concerns. “This announcement has a best-before date of October 11th, the day after the election,” a statement notes. “Ontario families have learned the hard way you can’t count on Dalton McGuinty because he always breaks his promises.”
