Transit activism

[calimehtar]

The political tug of war over public transportation in Toronto over the last year has got me thinking. Transit policy in this country is a disaster and nobody is doing anything about it. I like the signs that the City of Toronto seems to want to take charge and find its own projects and sources of funding, and Transit City is a step in the right direction. But the underlying problems remain.

Is there a way to make public transportation an election issue at all levels of government in the next round of elections which are a few years away still? My thinking is that we need:

- More ambitious transportation policy
- Reduced political interference in projects
- Streamlined review process to speed projects up
- Stable sources of funding

 

[Monarch Butterfly]

The federal government is the only western democracy that does not subsidize the operation of urban public transit. Only recently has it seems to subsidize capital projects, such as Transit City (by 1/3).

 

[Jonny5]

The federal government is the only western democracy that does not subsidize the operation of urban public transit.

Good. Let's keep them out of it. The fewer governments involved spending the exact same dollars the better. They can contribute nothing that the Ontario government cannot.

 

[BurlOak]

Good. Let's keep them out of it. The fewer governments involved spending the exact same dollars the better. They can contribute nothing that the Ontario government cannot.

Either the Federal government could raise the GST by 2% and transfer some money to the provinces - essentially being a middle man. Alternatively, they could lower the GST by 2% (which they did) to allow the Province to increase taxes (which they did by applying the HST on all services and not just goods). This should give the Province plenty of extra money to spend on transit.

 

[ssiguy2]

While I agree that the the federal governbment needs to step up to the plate on transit funding, Harper has provided more for urban transit than any PM before him. He really is the first to acknowledge that it was an issue.

As far as funding, much to Toronto's surprise, Toronto does very well perhaps too well. I don't think there is one other place on this entire planet that is going to provide 100% of the cost of it's mass transit system expansion and ask for no contribution. Also the feds do have a $1.2 billion infrastructure fund they could tap into using PPP but thast hurts Toronto sensibilities which is why Vancouver gets more federal funding for rapid transit expansion that the entire GTA.

Transit already is a major issue it Toronto that refuses to understand that funding it should be a partnership and not a bitch session about why it can give a dime towards it's developmernt.

 

[dowlingm]

The Feds are NOT providing one third of TC. They are providing 1/3 or thereabouts of the Spadina Extension and I think a couple of hundred million for Sheppard. Nothing for Eglinton or anywhere else.