Ford: ‘Hopefully the next premier will put Toronto as a priority’

With a provincial election campaign gathering steam, Toronto Mayor Rob Ford paid Premier Dalton McGuinty a visit on Wednesday, asking: “What are [you] going to do for Toronto?”

On his wish list, accelerating possible funding for his prized Sheppard subway extension, and discussions about how to fund daycare.

The Premier said he would think about it.

“I took the opportunity to remind the Mayor that since 2003, we have taken $700-million off of Toronto’s books,” Mr. McGuinty told reporters after their one hour meeting in his office.

Mr. Ford is especially interested in accelerating about $650-million that the province said could go to building a subway extension along Sheppard. The availability of the money depends on how much it costs the province to build a light rail line under Eglinton Avenue, and Premier McGuinty says it is too early to tell.

Mr. Ford wants to transfer $333-million in federal funding for the canceled Sheppard LRT to the subway project, and thinks provincial dollars could help secure that, said Mr. McGuinty. Mark Towhey, the mayor’s policy director, said the federal dollars are conditional on provincial funding, and that the agreement expires in 2014.

“I said we’d take a look at the request,” Mr. McGuinty said. “Maybe we should work together to convince the Feds to flow the money to this project.”

He also said he would “give some thought” to the Mayor’s request for “support” for subsidized daycare. The provincial government has reduced its funding of daycare (after the federal government did) and the city has been struggling to make up the difference. Mr. Towhey said the Mayor did not ask for more daycare money, but rather talked about the sector “in principle” and about how it may be funded differently.  They also touched on how to make better use of Ontario Place and Exhibition, and the potential sale of 900 scattered houses owned by the Toronto Community Housing Corporation.

Both leaders described the meeting in positive terms.

“He understood where we are coming from,” said Mr. Ford. “I think the whole city knows what we need. Hopefully the next premier on October 7 will put Toronto as a priority.”

He plans to meet with PC leader Tim Hudak and NDP leader Andrea Horwath.

Origin
Source: National Postr