Author: nanderson

Read and share John Cartwright, President of the Toronto & York Region Labour Council’s op-ed in the Toronto Star, which explains how Premier Doug Ford’s plan to steal the subway system from the TTC is really just a power grab with shady motives such as privatizing public transit.

Doug Ford can’t be trusted with uploading Toronto’s subway

The Doug Ford Conservative government is planning to pull off one of the most ambitious power grabs in recent memory — taking the entire subway system away from the TTC and the people of Toronto. This would tear apart an integrated system of buses, streetcars and subways that moves over a million and a half people every day — over 80 per cent of all passengers in the entire Greater Toronto region. And it would open the door to creeping privatization of public assets and services.

The Conservatives say the province will take over responsibility for building and maintaining new and existing subway lines, while allowing the city to operate the subway system. But a careful look at history shows that scheme is fraught with danger. Ontario’s transit projects feature 30-year deals with companies like SNC-Lavalin and Bombardier for maintenance of vehicles, stations, signals, and tracks — which is where the surplus is generated for years to come.

Both those companies have troubling records on performance, but SNC’s stake in Highway 407 manages to reap huge profits from commuters every day. In British transit privatization deals, bankruptcies of private contractors have landed billions of dollars in liabilities on the shoulders of the public.

What is the real motive behind this takeover move? Many observers point to the desire of the premier to decide where new subway development takes place — favouring Conservative ridings over improving service across the system. Others point to the drive by developers to get their hands on air rights over stations and other TTC properties. But nobody can answer the question of where the money will come from. Particularly from a government that has slashed its own revenue by billions of dollars, even while inflating deficit numbers to rationalize cuts to education, health care and social services.

There is a huge backlog of repairs and maintenance needed to keep the subway running safely. And there is an urgent need to build new transit lines. The Conservatives are promising to find money for all this without saying how they will actually pay for it. The idea that private developers will pick up the full cost is dismissed by experts as pure fantasy — local neighbourhoods would have to accept huge clusters of highrise buildings to generate anywhere near the fees required.

But we do know this — the only city council to ever cancel transit projects was the one run by the Fords; and the only provincial government to cancel subway construction was the Harris Conservatives. They threw away $100 million just to fill the in excavation for the Eglinton line. If they really cared about riders, we could have had rapid transit to the Scarborough town centre, the airport and York University decades ago.

Currently, the TTC is accountable to the people of Toronto. Ordinary citizens can make deputations and talk to their councillors about every aspect of transit service. If the takeover goes ahead, the subway would be transferred to the province’s transportation agency. Metrolinx board meetings do not allow in-person deputations, including by local politicians or city councillors. It may take a bit of time for decision-makers to listen to the people, but democracy actually matters when it comes to aligning public services with the public interest.

But more importantly, after the tainted effort to appoint a Ford crony as OPP Commissioner, the arbitrary firings, the millions of dollars in penalties due to the Ford regime’s interference in Hydro One, and the obsession with punishing political opponents — can any of us trust this government to not politicize and distort transit decisions in the future?

The TTC generates $1.2 billion from fares and the subways carry 230 million passengers. It gets the lowest amount of financial support from senior levels of government of any transit system in North America. That was caused when the previous Conservative regime abolished the traditional funding formula that saw the province and city equally cover the operating subsidy. And it never got fixed. Riders are asked to pay more, wait for crowded vehicles, and face growing uncertainty in getting from point A to B.

We all have a stake in ensuring that transit in Toronto is efficient, accessible and affordable. It is no accident that four former Toronto mayors signed a joint letter opposing the takeover. The answer to improved service is not breaking apart the TTC. The solution is to fund the system properly, and to keep all transit publicly owned, operated and maintained.

ATU Local 113 Sisters and Brother can Keep Transit Public by opposing Premier Ford’s upload scheme. Toronto’s transit workers have a unique perspective on the risks with this disastrous plan — that’s why it is important to show solidarity with riders, other unions, environmentalists, students and civil society leaders at two upcoming community events. See you there!

1.Councillor Paula Fletcher’s Transit Town Hall

Councillor Paula Fletcher is sponsoring a Transit Town Hall to discuss the dangers of the Ford government’s plan to steal the subway. This will be a chance to hear from transit experts and talk to your neighbours.

2. INFO PICKET for #OurSubway

Join TTCriders at MPP Kinga Surma’s constituency office to send a message: the TTC is #OurSubway!

MEETING LOCATION

Thursday, March 14 at 9:30 a.m.

Kipling Station
45 Kipling Northbound bus door

We’ll ride the 45 Northbound to the office together. Or you can meet us at the office for 10:15am.

OFFICE LOCATION

Thursday, March 14 at 10:15 a.m.
201 Lloyd Manor Rd – Unit 102, Etobicoke

City Council voted 23 to 2 to keep Toronto’s Subway with the City. That’s in direct opposition to Premier Ford and his so-called subway upload scheme that’ll break apart the TTC. That historic vote is not just symbolic, writes former mayor of Toronto John Sewell, it appears to have law on its side. Read his full explanation in The Globe and Mail today.

Toronto does not consent to Ontario’s proposed subway takeover – and that matters

John Sewell is a former mayor of Toronto.

Sometimes governments find it is easier to get their way by disregarding their own laws and proceeding as though there are no fetters on their actions.

So it is with the government of Premier Doug Ford.

That Ontario government has declared that it will “upload” the ownership of the Toronto subway system. It has appointed transportation consultant Michael Lindsay to advise on how that will be done, although it has said his advice will be kept confidential. The province has also said it will introduce legislation to assume ownership of the subway once the new legislative session begins Feb. 19.

The City of Toronto owns the subway – the land, the stations, the tracks, and other things involved – through its agency, the Toronto Transit Commission. On Dec. 19, by a vote of 23 to 2, city council stated it is opposed to this takeover, and the law appears to be is on its side.

Undeterred, the province is forging ahead without a meaningful definition of what “uploading” means nor clarity about whether the city would be paid for the appropriation of the system.

What the provincial government ignores is the law that governs this kind of dispute. Section 2 (1) of the Expropriation Act states that “despite any general or special Act, where land is expropriated or injurious affection is caused by a statutory authority, this Act applies.” Section 1 (1) defines expropriation as “the taking of land without the consent of the owner by an expropriating authority in the exercise of its statutory powers.”

That is certainly the situation here. Toronto has made it clear it does not consent. The law also applies to those who hold easements over the subway, none of whom have given consent.

Section 3 states “This Act binds the Crown.” That means that the province must follow the provisions in this statute.

The Act goes on to define which ministry would be responsible the expropriation process, and states that where it is unclear, responsibility falls to the Attorney-General. It then requires the Attorney-General to give notice to the city of its intentions and publish this notice in a local newspaper for three consecutive weeks. Such notice has never been given, nor has a notice been published in a Toronto newspaper.

These are simple procedural steps that the province has not bothered to take, apparently hoping to threaten city council enough that it reverses its opposition.

But the Act gives the city a strong negotiating position if it tells the province it must to adhere to the law. Section 6 states that the city can apply for a hearing about whether the expropriation is “fair, sound, and reasonably necessary,” and that hearing, conducted by an independent inquiry officer, permits cross-examination of witnesses.

The province has been unclear about why taking ownership of the subway is reasonable or necessary. It has talked vaguely about extending the subway, but to do so does not require ownership of it. And it doesn’t make much sense for the province to own the system, with the TTC still operating it, while running a separate transit system that is integrated with the subway.

Minister of Transportation Jeff Yurek recently stated the government intends to sell air rights over the subway, and that’s probably what the takeover is all about. That hardly satisfies the legislated criteria of the takeover being “fair, sound, and reasonably necessary.”

Then there’s the matter about what the province would have to pay by way of compensation. Section 13 states compensation will be based on market value. What is the subway and its associated land worth? We know the under-construction Eglinton Crosstown LRT is valued at about $8.4-billion. It has 25 stations, while the subway has 75. Does that mean the subway is worth three times as much? A hearing would have to determine the value.

Toronto city council must demand that the law be followed. That’s the only way this significant asset – worth a great deal of money, but also vital to Toronto’s continued efforts to be a world-class city – is fully protected.

The only way to improve Toronto’s public transit system is to properly fund it, not break it apart. Jessica Bell is the MPP for University-Rosedale and the NDP Transportation critic. Read her op-ed in the Toronto Sun outlining why the so-called subway upload will make things even worse for commuters.

OPINION: We can’t afford Ford’s Toronto’s subways takeover

We all know the Toronto Transit Commission has issues.

The TTC needs $33 billion over the next 15 years for maintenance so rush-hour delays are the exception, not the expectation. Regional fares need to be integrated so people can travel throughout the GTA without paying double. And then there’s the sardine-overcrowding and the long, frustrating waits.

Doug Ford has been scheming to rip Toronto’s subways away from the TTC – a provincial takeover and TTC breakup, leaving the rest of the TTC and the City of Toronto owning just buses and streetcars.

This will make things even worse for commuters.

Once Doug Ford and his developer friends get their mitts on our transit system, they can manipulate the pricing structure and charge even more to ride the subway. They can set fares independent of TTC buses and streetcars. This means higher costs and less fare integration. It could lead to a pay-by-speed or a pay-by-distance model where families priced out of our downtown core and living in the furthermost reaches of the city are saddled with higher subway fares, further squeezing the family budget. For commuters, Ford’s plan means less coordination between routes, higher costs, and even more crowding.

Doug Ford has already handed over the keys for new stations to developers, allowing them to influence where, when and how new subway stations and train routes are built. This is a big problem because it could lead to stations at a developer’s new shopping mall jumping to the front of the queue while critical transit projects that benefit our city, like the relief line, are ignored.

What’s even worse is that experts describe Ford’s plan to have private developers pay for transit as far-fetched. It’s estimated that a developer would have to build eight to 13 78-storey condos to cover the $500 million cost of adding just one more subway stop to the Scarborough subway extension. That’s just not going to happen. This fanciful scheme could mean nothing will be built.

Let’s face it, Doug Ford is focused on cutting public services. If he takes the TTC’s trains, we can be certain the billions needed to maintain our TTC won’t be provided. The chronic delays, overcrowding and unexplained breakdowns show that our aging subway is already struggling to keep up with how quickly Toronto is growing. And the last time the Conservatives meddled in municipal transit they made deep cuts to operating funding, and public transit has never recovered.

We need to derail Doug Ford’s plan to steal Toronto’s subway. And we need to properly fund transit with the province kicking in 50% of the operating costs. No one voted for higher fares and even more crowded trains. People deserve so much better than this.

– Jessica Bell is the MPP for University-Rosedale and the NDP Transportation critic