Mayor Ford calls for report on Bloor-Danforth subway funding

Mayor Rob Ford once again reiterated his support for subways on Wednesday, saying a new report on transit funding would be presented to councillors next Tuesday.

Ford did not say where the money for an extended Bloor-Danforth subway would come from.

“[City manager Joe] Pennachetti will find ways to finance the subways. That’s what the report’s going to do,” Ford said at a city hall news conference.

When asked if the city would pay for the subways, Ford said, “again, that’s what the report’s about. The report’s going to find options of funding the subway.”

Toronto has signed a master agreement with the province that specifically supports funding for light rail transit in Scarborough, not subways.

After a May 9 council meeting where councillors voted to reopen the Scarborough LRT debate, Metrolinx asked for clarity from the city.

Metrolinx CEO Bruce McCuaig sent a letter to Pennachetti asking the city to confirm its commitment to the project.

Pennachetti said Wednesday “council needs to decide, is it still sticking with LRT, or will it switch to subway? And that needs to be spelled out for the master agreement.”

He said that would be the key focus of the report but he will also talk about cost estimates.

City council will meet to discuss the report at its regular monthly meeting on July 16.

Do you support a subway or light rail on the corridor? Let us know in the comments.

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