High Speed Rail: London - Kitchener-Waterloo - Pearson Airport - Toronto

[TheTigerMaster]

In the UT tank, the fish look at the food, yawn, say "Again? He fed us that last week". And then dance again anyways.

- Paul

We'll be eating like kings tomorrow with the budget announcement

 

[rbt]

We'll be eating like kings tomorrow with the budget announcement

We'll all be piled into the restaurant expecting huge platters to be served.

Of course, the chef is going to be replaced before the platters are prepared so what actually comes out of the kitchen isn't really known by anybody.

Best result (for HSR) tomorrow is matching funds for Federal money on the Kitchener line track program AND Metrolinx issues an RFQ during the 1st week of May. Even starting an EA at this late date won't achieve much without actual construction on some portion of the corridor.

 

[TOareaFan]

We'll all be piled into the restaurant expecting huge platters to be served.

Of course, the chef is going to be replaced before the platters are prepared so what actually comes out of the kitchen isn't really known by anybody.

Best result (for HSR) tomorrow is matching funds for Federal money on the Kitchener line track program AND Metrolinx issues an RFQ during the 1st week of May. Even starting an EA at this late date won't achieve much without actual construction on some portion of the corridor.

How would you get matching federal funds out of a provincial budget?

 

[rbt]

How would you get matching federal funds out of a provincial budget?

Federal funds for GO RER track work was announced a couple weeks ago, so the "matching" part in this case is the provincial portion.

More specifically, I expect the "match" is for immediate use by Metrolinx, resulting in the tender process beginning immediately, and is not deferred to future years.

 

[TOareaFan]

Federal funds for GO RER track work was announced a couple weeks ago, so the "matching" part in this case is the provincial portion.

More specifically, I expect the "match" is for immediate use by Metrolinx, resulting in the tender process beginning immediately, and is not deferred to future years.

The federal funds announced weeks ago were simply a reduction of the provincial funds...ie, the province had committed to funding 100% of ReR (in fact had described it as fully funded) so the federal funds are already matched since what they are paying is just a % of something the province had said they were in for 100% of.

 

[rbt]

The federal funds announced weeks ago were simply a reduction of the provincial funds

The province committed to funding something in the future; they haven't actually funded it yet. A rather meaningless statement by itself; see very long list of things which had funding promises over the decades but still haven't started.

This budget should contain actual money for actual work to take place.

 

[TOareaFan]

The province committed to funding something in the future; they haven't actually funded it yet. This budget should contain actual money for actual work to take place; I'll be gob-smacked if it doesn't.

they have described it in the past as fully funded.

 

[rbt]

they have described it in the past as fully funded.

Exactly, just like Sheppard East LRT.

Now, wait a few years and see exactly what that kind of statement means when the people making the decisions changes. It's a non-binding statement with zero impact for breaking it.

It's better than "no" but not by much. Compare to Spadina Subway extension which was fully funded (as in cash sitting in a trust account tied to that specific project) for years before construction started; that was a very strong funding commitment that even a change in government would struggle to roll back.


Future funding commitment + project longer than 1 government term == We won't say no, ask the next guys

 

[TOareaFan]

Exactly, just like Sheppard East LRT.

Now, wait a few years and see exactly what that kind of statement means when the people making the decisions changes. It's a non-binding statement with zero impact for breaking it.

It's better than "no" but not by much. Compare to Spadina Subway extension which was fully funded (as in cash sitting in a trust account tied to that specific project) for years before construction started; that was a very strong funding commitment that even a change in government would struggle to roll back.

true....but to go back to the start of this convo....there is no need today to "match" the federal funds as the project was fully funded (as in funds and their sources committed) in the 2014 budget....all the federal funds did was free up some of those previously committed funds for something else (maybe even something as whacky as debt reduction).

 

[M II A II R II K]

Hopefully the latest report won't be another Rick Mercer study.

 

[TOareaFan]

Hopefully the latest report won't be another Rick Mercer study.

It would be great to know when it was actually delivered to the province.

If it was on time (last October, I think) then why the delay in releasing it? If it was late, was he docked any of his pay for being late?

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

It would be great to know when it was actually delivered to the province.

If it was on time (last October, I think) then why the delay in releasing it? If it was late, was he docked any of his pay for being late?

If the tradition holds, being late meant additional pay and future contracts.

AoD

 

[crs1026]

Ah, the consultant's life.... turn in a draft, receive additional questions from your client, go investigate those and invoice accordingly.....

I'm not expecting any clarity on Toronto-Windsor today, but I'm hopi g to find out whether that Provincial money freed up by the Ottawa announcement has been repurposed, or just clawed back in the interest of balancing the budget.

- Paul

 

[Allandale25]

High speed rail reference in Budget 2017 (page 159 of document here):

High-Speed Rail In 2015, the government appointed the Honourable David Collenette as a Special Advisor to assist in bringing high‐speed rail to the Toronto, Kitchener‐Waterloo, London and Windsor corridor. The Province will now advance the comprehensive environmental assessment and support additional design and planning work for the corridor. Ontario is also considering the development of a governing body that would provide oversight for the ambitious work required to design and implement high‐speed rail. High‐speed rail could cut travel times between Toronto and Windsor from four hours to just over two, and would make Ontario the first province to transform its rail network through high‐speed rail.

 

[crs1026]

Governing Body reference translates as "Metrolinx has enough on its plate in the GTA.....and don't leave the room, Minister Garneau" I suppose.

- Paul