|
Dear neighbour,
Public transit is integral to our city. As a federal MP, one of my main priorities has been to strengthen our cities by securing investments in public transit across our country and in Toronto.
Three years ago, Mayor Tory declared that the Downtown Relief Line was shovel ready and could be completed ahead of time. Years of community consultation had preceded the development of this project, and federal resources were allocated to its planning. Then, without notice or consultation, Premier Doug Ford undid years of work with a new hastily drawn plan called the Ontario Line.
In October 2019, under difficult circumstances created by provincial threats to upload our subway system, Toronto's city council voted in favour of Ford's new project. There were three dissenting votes: Councillors Perks, Matlow and Wong-Tam. The vote included transferring the federal funds held by the city for the Relief Line to the new Ontario Line. You can read the text of the vote here.
As of today, the Province continues to pursue the Ontario Line but it has not yet made an application to present a business case for this project. Until the application is made, no further federal funds will be allocated. More importantly: when those funds are requested, the federal government will not have a say in how the project has been designed, budgeted, or consulted on, nor will it withhold funds based on their own set of criteria. The federal government does not determine the design or construction of local transit - it funds projects at the request of the local municipalities or provinces that have that responsibility.
So where does all this leave us?
I live in this community and in close proximity to the proposed Ontario Line. As a resident, I share the concerns about its impact on safety, parks, social services, and businesses. I have attended townhall meetings, but because the Ontario Line is first and foremost a municipal and provincial matter, I have generally not been asked to be a panelist. I am working with local resident groups (East End Transit Alliance, Pape Area Concerned Citizens for Transit, Lakeshore East Community Advisory Committee and Save Jimmie Simpson) to amplify their message, including by speaking out in the House of Commons, and I am currently organizing a meeting between these groups and the federal infrastructure minister's office so that our concerns can be raised.
As your voice in Ottawa I will continue to advocate for federal investments in public transit, but the role of the federal government in funding municipal and provincial projects is well established, and ensures that the final say in budgeting, planning, and prioritization remains in local hands. We don't want other levels of government telling Toronto what our priorities should be, or where our resources should be spent. While I can and will continue to raise our concerns on the federal level, the fact remains that if our community's concerns about design and operation are to be heard, they need to be focused where the decisions on local transit design are made: the city, and the province.
For this week only, my Facebook Live chat will be tomorrow: Thursday February 4th at 7:30pm. This is because of late voting tonight. If you would like to ask me any questions about the federal role in the Ontario Line, please feel free to send me an email or tune in and ask me then.
|
