Unwashed Minority Masses Roar in Toronto
Posted on March 19, 2012
When the Toronto Taxpayer’s Federation hosted a town hall in Scarborough about the debate between LRT and subway transit, hundreds turned out and overwhelmingly demanded subways rather than LRT. Many in that crowd questioned why downtown Toronto and North York get subway lines, while they have to settle for lumbering streetcars (LRT).
Toronto Star columnists scoffed at these unwashed masses, paternalistically suggesting they have been bamboozled by Mayor Rob Ford and his minions. ‘Desperately deceived’, proclaimed his majesty Royson James !
The population of Scarborough, over 600,000 with a 3000/square km density, while not as high as downtown, certainly justifies subway transit. North York, with similar population and density, has portions of three subway lines running though it. Downtown Toronto has parts of the Yonge, University and Bloor subway lline. Why should Scarborough residents be deprived?
The population of Scarborough, over 600,000 with a 3000/square km density, while not as high as downtown, certainly justifies subway transit. North York, with similar population and density, has portions of three subway lines running though it. Downtown Toronto has parts of the Yonge, University and Bloor subway lline. Why should Scarborough residents be deprived?
The answer lies partially in demographics and race. Downtown Toronto brims with predominantly white latte sipping ‘hipsters’. Bucolic hoods like Leslieville and ‘The Annex’ have been annexed by fancy white elites who worship Margaret Atwood and the CBC. They proclaim their love of diversity and multiculturalism… as long as it resides elsewhere.
North York, or at least the wealthy (read white) portions, were gifted the useless Sheppherd stub-line by ex Mayor and prosperous North Yorker Mel Lastman. Rob Ford is desperately trying to fix this mistake by extending it to under served Scarborough.
Now the latte liberals of downtown Toronto suggest that targeted taxes or punitive tolls should be used to construct just one subway line to Scarborough. While their downtown hoods and upscale North York got subways without any such ‘revenue tools’.
They refuse to consider real revenue tools which violate their ridiculous ideological biases.. such as allowing the private sector to build a casino in central Scarborough and finance a subway extension to it.
For these people, their lefty ideas and biases far outweigh any concern for the transportation needs of hard working minorities.
These people are never short on excuses or faulty reasoning. They would tell you that construction costs were lower in the past. They will explain that upper levels of government have sometimes been of the conservative variety and unwilling to fund municipal projects.
From 2003 to 2010, David Miller was mayor, and during this timeframe Liberal soulmate McGuinty was also in power. Half of that time, the federal Liberals had a majority. The left controlled all levels of govt and had ample opportunity to fund projects in Scarborough, but they did nothing.
Wealthy white denizens of downtown Toronto never tire of telling everyone how ‘multi cultural’ they are, how they respect diverse and tolerant lifestyles. But of course it is easy to crow about diversity, as long as they get nice subways while relegating minorities in Scarborough to rattletrap forty year old streetcars.
In reality, the true friends of hard working minorities are folks like Rob Ford.
