Transit tax debate to continue at Toronto city hall Thursday
Posted May 8, 2013 5:26 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A transit tax debate, opposed by Mayor Rob Ford, will continue at city hall after councillors spent a large part of the day questioning city staff on proposed revenue tools and areas of priority, Wednesday.
A day earlier, councillors overruled Ford’s executive committee and voted to add the motion to the agenda.
“We have to expand our transit systems in order to reduce gridlock. People in Toronto have made that link,” city manager Joe Pennachetti said in response to questions.
A staff report recommends development charges, a fuel tax, a parking levy and sales tax to raise money for Metrolinx’s Big Move transit expansion plan for the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area.
The Big Move is expected to cost $50 billion over 25 years to fund projects including a downtown relief line in Toronto, a Yonge subway extension and rapid transit in Brampton and Hamilton.
When asked why he had not included high occupancy tolls or hot lanes into his report, Pannachetti explained that they were possible options in the longer term and that hot lanes were going to be recommended in 2020.
“More transit options are needed before you look into vehicle tax,” he said.
Ford has said he does not support any new taxes but did not offer any other models for funding. He has vowed to make transit funding an election issue.
Pennachetti appeared to take a shot at Ford during the question period, saying that when “you start saying no to certain revenue tools to Metrolinx and the province…you have to have others to consider.”
Pennachetti said he did not support a congestion levy, but tools like road tolls and a vehicle/kilometre tax function like congestion levies.
They are an indirect levy, he said, “because it gets people out of cars.”
Coun. Gord Perks questioned Pennachetti about why progressive taxation was not one of his suggestions, citing that several economists have found that it is an equitable approach to taxation.
The city manager responded that residential polls said people didn’t like it so they didn’t consider it as an approach.
Questions were also posed to TTC CEO Andy Byford who called a possible downtown relief line “critical” for the city. He said the name was a misnomer giving the possible implication that the line would be a “plaything” for those living in the city’s core when really it would benefit those living in the suburbs and ease commuter congestion on the other lines.
The downtown relief line is one of Metrolinx’s priorities and the city needs to be careful not to “unpick” the agency’s agreement in place with the province, he cautioned.
“In my professional opinion, the downtown relief line is a pressing priority,” Byford said.
Coun. Josh Matlow expressed his frustration over the whole debate stating that residents are asking council to have an honest conversation about funding for the plan that already exists, not to reopen the master agreement with Metrolinx and to “get on with the plan you’ve got and get the job done.”
Not long after, Coun. Glenn De Baeremaeker raised a motion for council to support the Scarborough subway.
“Our LRT line is busier than many of your subway stations already,” he explained. “This is the right subway at the right location at the right price.”
De Baeremaeker said he would bet that 100 per cent of the people he asked who live in the condos near the existing SRT would say they would rather be walking to a subway – despite the fact that it would have fewer stops than an LRT – and that it wouldn’t cost that much more money.
“They’re already looking at making changes that could cost hundreds of millions dollars for construction realities. For the same amount we could have a full fledged subway,” he explained.
He then told Matlow that if Scarborough didn’t get a subway he would be voting against all transit taxes, which caused a heated debate between the two which was broken up quickly by Speaker Frances Nunziata.
It was then decided that a vote on whether two-thirds of council wanted to reopen the Metrolinx master agreement related to the Scarborough LRT would happen at a later date.
During Tuesday’s meeting, councillors approved a request for report from the executive committee and the city manager to study the feasibility of expanding the island airport and allowing certain jets to land at the downtown airport.
Porter has already agreed to purchase up to 30 CS100 airliners from Bombardier, even though jets are currently not allowed at the island airport.
Councillors have also already voted unanimously in favour of a property tax break for the Toronto International Film Festival. A portion of the TIFF Bell Lightbox, at 350 King St. West, will be exempt.
Click here to watch a live stream of the council meeting. The meeting was initially scheduled for two days but will likely run until Thursday.
Other agenda items:
- Waiving the rental for bike parking at the Nathan Phillip Square Bike Station.
- Councillors Kristyn Wong-Tam and Mike Layton are calling for drivers to maintain a distance of one metre when passing bicyclists. The motion is also subject to a two-thirds vote.
- The proposed Toronto casino, another hot-button topic, was deferred from the May 7-8 meeting to a special council meeting on May 21.
- Ownership of Bixi. Staff are recommending the city take over the program and TTC Chair Karen Stintz may suggest putting it under the TTC’s watch. However, Ford is calling for the program to be dissolved.
