Toronto mayor downplays Mississauga’s concerns over SmartTrack request
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Betsy PowellCity Hall Bureau
, San GrewalUrban Affairs Reporter
Thu., Nov. 3, 2016
Mayor John Tory is dismissing Mississauga’s concern over funding part of the proposed Eglinton West LRT extension to Pearson airport, insisting the two cities will come up with a plan “that will benefit us all.”
“I’ve been trying to play down that sort of political rhetoric and say what we have to do is co-operate with each other and the discussions are going to begin if (Toronto) city council . . . gives that authority next week,” Tory said Thursday.
“We’ll just move ahead with the constructive discussions to find a way to get this done and to make sure people find themselves in a position where they can make an appropriate contribution.”
On Monday, the city and province announced a major transit agreement to build SmartTrack, a scaled back version of the mayor’s campaign promise that proposes to build six new stations on existing GO tracks and an LRT route along Eglinton Ave. W.
A city manager’s report showed that Toronto expects Mississauga and the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) to pay $470 million towards the LRT project.
Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie and several councillors suggested they were blindsided by this.
“Mr. Tory, we are not going to pay for your wall,” Councillor Jim Tovey bellowed during a committee meeting Wednesday, comparing the Toronto mayor to Donald Trump, who expects Mexico to pay for a border wall it doesn’t want.
“Let’s call it a non-starter,” Crombie said.
The report assumes a $1.18 billion contribution from Toronto, and a $822.9 million contribution from the federal government toward the $2.47 billion cost.
Toronto city spokesperson Wynna Brown wrote in email that “the City Manager’s report does not request $470 million, but requests the City of Mississauga and the GTAA to formally, through their council and board respectively, to indicate whether they are interested in this extension from Renforth to Pearson.”
Mississauga staff and council members said they have no idea how Toronto calculated the $470 million figure. Brown described the figure as a “placeholder estimate.”
Tory played down any rift with his Mississauga counterpart, saying they have an “excellent, constructive, productive, friendly” relationship and had in fact spoken Thursday morning.
A project connecting Toronto’s west end to Mississauga has been under discussion for years, said Tory, expressing optimism it can move forward with the backing of a “financial partnership.”
Earlier this week, Tory’s executive committee gave the green light to a transit expansion proposal that goes to council next week. A vote is expected by the end of the day Tuesday, Tory said.
“I’m very hopeful it’s going to be approved and that will be a major step forward for building an extensive amount of transit in this city and this region.”
The province set a Nov. 30 deadline for council approval, which comes before a city staff report on potential revenue tools to help pay for transit and housing.
Critics say Tory needs to identify where the money is coming now before council decides on the transit proposal.
The mayor admitted Thursday the timing may not be perfect, but vowed within weeks to outline how he intends to pay for it once he receives staff reports assessing all the different options.
“In less than a month’s time, we will be having a full discussion where I will set out . . . my own thoughts on what we should be doing by way of long-term revenue measures to pay for transit and housing projects that are of importance to the city.”
