Ford’s transit plan dies as council approves Sheppard LRT

The final piece of Toronto’s transit puzzle appeared to fall into place Thursday as council approved light-rail transit for Sheppard Avenue East.

The motion passed 24-19 after two days of often heated discussion.

“This debate, I assure you, is not over, no matter which way the vote goes…this will be a big election issue,” Mayor Rob Ford said as the debate drew to a close.

He was the last person to speak before the final vote was held.

The motion still has to be reviewed by Metrolinx, Ontario’s transportation minister Bob Chiarelli said Thursday.

“This government respects the will of the city’s democratically elected councillors,” Chiarelli said in a statement.

Click here to read full statements from Ford and Chiarelli.

Councillors had to decide whether the city should build a light-rail transit (LRT) line on Sheppard or adopt Ford’s subway extension plan. The decision in favour of LRT is another major blow to Ford, whose first act upon taking office was to scrap the Transit City plan proposed by former mayor David Miller. One of his key election promises was a subway along Sheppard.

A version of that plan was resurrected on Feb. 8 when council endorsed a plan put forward by TTC chair Karen Stintz for LRT on Eglinton Avenue East and Finch Avenue West. Early in his tenure as mayor, Ford’s plan for extensive cuts to the 2012 budget were derailed when council voted to restore $15 million to social services and other programs.

The two-day session had been contentious at times. Wednesday’s special session ran nearly 12 hours, and the vote was delayed until Thursday.

“Why isn’t council just getting on with the business at hand?” Coun. Josh Matlow asked at the start of Thursday’s meeting.

Ford delivered a heated speech Thursday morning and said Torontonians “hate St. Clair” and “don’t want these damn streetcars blocking up our city.”

“[The proposed Sheppard LRT] is going to be St. Clair part two,” Ford shouted. “This is going to be a boondoggle of billions of dollars to make the eHealth scandal look minuscule.”

Coun. Gord Perks shot back and accused Ford of employing the “politics of division.”

After voicing his frustration about the business community not being brought into the transit debate, the mayor’s brother, Coun. Doug Ford, lost his temper. After stating that “it’s disgusting the way we’re all acting in here,” he attacked fellow Etobicoke councillor Gloria Lindsay Luby, who supports LRT, and questioned her credibility as someone “who only won with 200 votes and barely scraped by.”

He later called his fellow councillors “monkeys,” and then was asked to apologize.

Coun. Kristyn Wong-Tam chastised Mayor Ford for “flippantly” cancelling the fully-funded Transit City after construction had already begun and incurring at least $65 million in fees.

She also suggested it’s irresponsible to suggest a plan that costs more than the LRT and does not cover as much ground — and also to cite the subway extension’s estimated cost within a $1-billion-plus range.

“We cannot continue to follow a man with no plan,” she said.

“The mayor had the ball in his hand and he has fumbled. There is simply too much on the line.”

The mayor put forward a motion Wednesday to defer the transit meeting until April 4. It was shot down. The mayor wants to wait to make a decision until after the provincial and federal governments deliver their budgets.

On Thursday, Coun. Michael Thompson put forward a motion to defer the entire Sheppard transit issue to the city manager. The motion was defeated.

Coun. Janet Davis said the city has been deferring taking action on transit for 509 days — since Ford declared Transit City was dead on Dec. 1, 2010 — and said the city is bleeding $1 million a day due to dithering.

“We have waited 509 days to get a financing plan for some mythical alternative,” she said. “We have waited 509 days for this council to finally take its responsibilities and act on them.”

On Thursday, Coun. Mike Layton said the subway would have seven stations over eight kilometres, serving 30,000 riders. But the LRT would have 26 stations over 12 kilometres with 26 stations, serving 58,000 riders, at at least half the cost.

Last week, an expert panel endorsed the LRT option, claiming it delivers the best “bang for the buck” taking ridership projections and budget into consideration.

On Feb. 8, council endorsed a plan put forward by TTC chair Karen Stintz for LRT on Eglinton Avenue East and Finch Avenue West.

TTC CEO Andy Byford told councillors Wednesday that he would prefer to build subways.

The province has promised to give Toronto $8.4 billion for new transit construction.

Ford says he has $1 billion funding in place to build at least one stop out to Victoria Park Avenue. He eventually wants the Sheppard subway to run to the Scarborough Town Centre.

Lack of financing is the big issue when it comes to the mayor’s subway plan and on Wednesday a $100 parking levy on 900,000 spots at malls and underground lots was proposed by budget chief Mike Del Grande to help fund the underground line. The parking tax would bring in $90 million a year, he said.

Del Grande later tried to rescind his motion.

Last week Ford promised that he wouldn’t implement any new taxes to fund a subway extension.

With files from CityNews.ca staff

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