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Finch West Line 6 LRT

TheTigerMaster said:
I agree that the prior PC leadership is history now; it's irrelevant. However, the fundamental beliefs of political parties are very slow to change. Since the "common sense revolution" days, the Progressive Conservatives have consistently shown themselves to be hostile to public transit expansion. The fact that Hudak or Harris are not in leadership anymore will not erase that hostility overnight. It is logical to be skeptical of the PCs plans for transit expansion or funding, until they propose something to demonstrate that they will not stand in the way of transit expansion.
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Though one can argue that the common sense revolution itself was a quick change in direction for the party. It swung quickly to the right to capture votes that it lost to the Liberals. Up until that point, the PC's were a dominating force in Ontario.

Seeing as they haven't been able to find that success again by swinging hard right, it makes sense that Brown would want to take the party more towards its roots. I like to think of the common sense revolution days more as a blip than anything. Nothing suggests that it would be impossible for the party to swing back towards the centre, and Trump will be the main driver of whether this happens or not. If Trump completely collapses, I can see the NDP and Liberals trying to frame Brown as a Trump-lite. If Trump succeeds, expect Brown and his party to move into Trump's style of politics.
 
Tuscani01 said:
Though one can argue that the common sense revolution itself was a quick change in direction for the party. It swung quickly to the right to capture votes that it lost to the Liberals. Up until that point, the PC's were a dominating force in Ontario.

Seeing as they haven't been able to find that success again by swinging hard right, it makes sense that Brown would want to take the party more towards its roots. I like to think of the common sense revolution days more as a blip than anything. Nothing suggests that it would be impossible for the party to swing back towards the centre, and Trump will be the main driver of whether this happens or not. If Trump completely collapses, I can see the NDP and Liberals trying to frame Brown as a Trump-lite. If Trump succeeds, expect Brown and his party to move into Trump's style of politics.
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The Liberals with their Super-PAC (working families coalition) will definitely try and frame Brown into the devil incarnate.

Of course they fail to mention their union-supported slush fund it keeping the price of construction high with the crazy salaries that unionized construction workers make. Which of course means less transit for us since the wages are inflated by 40%+ (so the money is diverted to unions and not actually building transit).

At the end who do you believe more? A party that has promised so much and delivered on virtually nothing (other than a subway into lands owned by their friendly developers)? Or anyone else?
 
In the last 15 years, the provincial Liberals certainly delivered more transit than "anyone else". The subway extension will connect York U, and shorten the trips to subway on the Finch W and Steeles W routes. Do not forget Eglinton, either. It is firmly on track to completion and will become a major transit improvement for the midtown.

I doubt that Brown, or any PC leader, will squeeze a lot of wages out of construction workers. They all work for private employers, and the government has little influence on their employment contracts.

That said, let's wait and see what Mr. Brown has to offer on the transit file.
 
15 years in power - I would've expected more from them in that time. Metrolinx is just as political as the politicians, delaying and canceling approved projects in Toronto more than half a dozen times, ignoring necessary improvements until the last minute (ahem... Relief Line). The Liberals should have been a steady hand.
 
M II A II R II K said:
At least after a 25 year drought there has been continuous rapid transit construction taking place since 2010 at multiple sites.
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But way overpriced. We need to get rid of the mandatory unionized worker rules in the contracts. Inflates the time it takes and the cost.

One of my buddies gave an example on a Metrolinx project. To replace a emergency exit exterior door it cost him $1500 in labour. He had to call in a framer, a caulker, etc. Total of 6 workers and 2 days.

If you did this without a union one person can do the work in 2 hours for about $300 in labour.
 
muller877 said:
But way overpriced. We need to get rid of the mandatory unionized worker rules in the contracts. Inflates the time it takes and the cost.

One of my buddies gave an example on a Metrolinx project. To replace a emergency exit exterior door it cost him $1500 in labour. He had to call in a framer, a caulker, etc. Total of 6 workers and 2 days.

If you did this without a union one person can do the work in 2 hours for about $300 in labour.
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Did it follow the building and fire codes? Why didn't he make a bid?
 
muller877 said:
But way overpriced. We need to get rid of the mandatory unionized worker rules in the contracts. Inflates the time it takes and the cost.

One of my buddies gave an example on a Metrolinx project. To replace a emergency exit exterior door it cost him $1500 in labour. He had to call in a framer, a caulker, etc. Total of 6 workers and 2 days.

If you did this without a union one person can do the work in 2 hours for about $300 in labour.
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Framers, Caulkers etc are different trades (positions). you wouldn't be able to have the same person doing those positions if it was done by non union workers.
 
This is going to be built. RFP will close in the fall, with construction early 2018. No matter the election results, this will be beyond the "point of no return".

The good thing about the AFP / P3 process is that it makes it very difficult for new governments to cancel the contracts (that is, so expensive to cancel that it makes no sense).
 
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