Re: Battle Lines Already Being Drawn
www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs...8350116795
Many questions surround new transit agency
Apr. 26, 2006. 01:00 AM
IAN URQUHART
Follow the money. That's usually good advice for anyone seeking to understand what lies behind a government initiative, and it is certainly true of the Greater Toronto Transportation Authority.
The long-awaited GTTA — a Liberal election promise — was finally launched on Monday with great fanfare by Transportation Minister Harinder Takhar.
Flanked by mayors and regional chairs from across the Greater Toronto Area, Takhar said that current trends will add another 2 million vehicles to the roads in the already gridlocked region and commuting times will increase fourfold, unless corrective action is taken.
"GTTA will bring the province together with municipalities to develop a seamless and integrated transportation plan for road, rail and transit," he declared.
But when the bill to create the GTTA was tabled in the Legislature later in the day, it was unclear what, if any, sources of revenue the GTTA will have to upgrade and expand the roads and transit lines in the region.
The bill directs the GTTA "to provide leadership in the co-ordination, planning, financing and development" of transportation routes in the region "to act as the central procurement agency" for the purchase of transit vehicles and equipment.
But where will the money come from? The bill gives the GTTA no authority to raise taxes.
It will have authorization to borrow money, but sooner or later loans have to be repaid.
"We're concerned by the lack of strong financial tools that will provide sustainable revenue," said Glen Grunwald, president of the Toronto Board of Trade, which has long called for creation of a regional transportation authority.
"The authority will need sufficient funds to tackle major projects and create partnerships. The last thing we want to end up with is a great car that doesn't have enough gas in the tank."
Instead, the government appears to have decided to leave the money for transit expansion with the operating authorities in the Greater Toronto Area, including the TTC, while the GTTA will make recommendations on how it is to be spent.
If so, whose view will prevail if there is a disagreement?
What if, for example, the GTTA decides to replace the deteriorating Scarborough RT line with a subway but the TTC prefers less costly streetcars?
I put these questions to Takhar and he suggested the GTTA would use its persuasive powers to convince the TTC that one option was better than the other.
But Takhar also hinted that the GTTA might eventually get access to the federal gasoline tax revenue that is flowing to municipalities in the Greater Toronto Area — about $800 million over five years.
However, the province will need permission from the municipalities to get its hands on those funds.
If all this makes the GTTA sound like a work in progress, it is. Essentially, the government has decided to create the framework for a regional transportation authority and worry about the details later.
Initially, a much more ambitious mandate was considered for the GTTA, including uploading the TTC and other local transit agencies to the regional authority to operate.
But this idea encountered stiff local opposition, and in the end the government opted for a more minimalist approach.
"We needed to walk before we run," explained Takhar.
That suggests the GTTA could gain power as it becomes more established, which makes turf-conscious local politicians wary.
"I'm going to sit back and see what evolves out of this," said TTC Chair Howard Moscoe. That is, he will be following the money.
A footnote: Much of the wrangling over the GTTA prior to this week's unveiling was over the composition of the board that will manage the authority. Toronto, which accounts for most of the transit riders, wanted a majority on the board.
The 905 municipalities, including Hamilton, which combined have a greater population than Toronto, were not willing to cede majority control. And the corporate community wanted business leaders, not politicians, on the board.
In the end, the government required them all to take a little water with their wine. Toronto City Council will appoint four of the 11 board members; the 905 municipalities, five; and the province, two. Takhar said the provincial appointees will be from the business community.
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...he suggested the GTTA would use its persuasive powers to convince the TTC that one option was better than the other.
Oh yeah, that'll work. :\
That suggests the GTTA could gain power as it becomes more established, which makes turf-conscious local politicians wary.
Hmmm, interesting. So if the GTTA can prove itself it might eventually have more power over the transit authorities...
