Premier Dalton McGuinty is brushing aside Mayor Rob Ford’s charge that it would be “political suicide” not to run the Eglinton Ave. LRT fully underground.
And the premier made it clear that Ford should believe Transportation Minister Bob Chiarelli when he said the provincial government will only consider transit plans approved by full city council — not the mayor alone.
“I think we’ve all been very clear in this regard,” McGuinty told reporters Monday, a day after Ford said on his first Sunday radio show on Newstalk 1010 that, “I don’t think (McGuinty) actually said it himself.”
“I gotta get a radio show, obviously,” the premier quipped.
“We have a responsibility to listen to decisions adopted by council as a whole,” he added after a breakfast speech to hundreds of municipal politicians in town for a convention.
The province has promised $8.4 billion towards public transit upgrades in Toronto, with Ford’s plan for more subways defeated in a recent city council vote.
As for Ford’s comment that not burying the Eglinton LRT eastward from Laird Dr. is politically dangerous, McGuinty tried to turn down the temperature.
“I don’t really think Torontonians in particular are weighing the political consequence of all these things. I think they’re talking about public transit and what it is that we can do as two responsible levels of government to work together get the job done. We have the funding available.”
The province is now waiting for city council to decide what to do about additional transit on Sheppard Ave. after a study is complete in late March, and is insisting a transit plan be passed by full council as required by a memorandum of understanding between Ontario and the City of Toronto.
“Having said all that, we are coming to the end of our rope. We’re running out of patience,” said McGuinty, whose minority government is looking to hold Liberal ridings across the city.
“I express that on behalf of the good people of Toronto who are entitled to progress. So we’d like to invest in public transit at the earliest possible opportunity. We think we’re really close.”
After weighing in as part of his “Cut the Waist” challenge Monday morning, Ford repeated his claim that it’s “political suicide” for McGuinty to consider backing council’s directive to build LRTs with the province’s $8.4 billion.
“It’s up to the premier — it’s his project,” Ford said when asked about the province’s demand that the city send a cohesive message on transit expansion.
“It’s political suicide. He’s the one who’s going to lose seats and votes. I listen to the voters. Every poll you see is 70- to 80-per-cent want subways, so if he wants to cater to the 30 per cent I don’t see him winning many seats at 30 per cent.
It doesn’t make sense to me. I’m listening to the majority of the people.”
Chiarelli said the decision remains up to city council, dismissed Ford’s reference to polls and reiterated the transit funding remains in place.
“Regardless of what I think of public opinion or what the public opinion polls say, it’s the City of Toronto that needs to respond to…what are they gonna build?” Chiarelli told reporters at Queen’s Park.
“We have a very strong transit-first Liberal caucus in the City of Toronto. They advocated for and obtained $8.4 billion to put to the disposal of the citizens of Toronto and to put at the disposal of city council and we’re waiting for them to partner with us on how to spend that.”
A Toronto Star-Angus Poll of 801 Torontonians released Saturday found that 52 per cent favour expanding the subway system, as championed by Ford, while 48 per cent prefer the light rail that is the focus of the plan recently approved by city council.
But when asked: “Would you be willing or unwilling to pay for subways through road tolls or other increased fees or taxes?” 57 per cent said they were unwilling, compared with 35 per cent warm to tolls and the like.
The poll, conducted Thursday and Friday, also found that Torontonians have less trust in Ford than in city council or even McGuinty on transit-commuting issues.
Source: Star
Author: Rob Ferguson
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