WislaHD
Superstar
Sounds interesting! Do post it if you can find it!
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Mayor John Tory's Toronto
- Thread starter MetroMan
- Start date
steveintoronto
Superstar
Indeed! Pardon my not editing this, will post it in "quote" to reduce the page space displayed since I'll include all the first page hits from Google, this is such a large story in Oz that some of the hits are University Forums on the matter. No matter how you (all) feel about this, it has to be discussed, because this is already in the pipe and headed here, so best this be discussed before headlines make a mess of it: (I think this is a way forward, but with *caveats* that we stay in the driver's seat)
I'll save editing time when digging for the Vancouver case and how that fits in Cdn law, I'll get back to this forum with details...
Edit to Add: lol...now the links are in front of me, I couldn't help but start reading them, started with one of the most cynical (Why port privatisation plans are in deep water around the country) for which you have to wade through a lot of local, regional and national politics, all very interesting, but as that relates to the situation we're discussing, and my "driver's seat" caveat:
Are we selling off the family silver by privatising Australia’s ports?
I haven't read it yet, will do so, but that's exactly the line of questioning we need, even as I agree with the principle of Private Capital allowing big, necessary projects to move forward.
We're bent over the barrel borrowing money to do it within the City's finances, how can we be any less compromised handing over projects of size to Investors who then recoup costs by user fees, the same as we would have to do anyway, and with higher operating and debt servicing costs to do it 'in house'.
Bear in mind, income tax is an invention only a little over a century old. How was North America's magnificent expansion financed before that? (Caveats do apply!)
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steveintoronto
Superstar
Running short on time here, but realized I hadn't fully answered Wisla's request for reference *as to how that finances transit* (and I will detail more later when time permits), but just glancing through an Aussie document on it, and lo and behold!
https://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=...kW646t21vR_Ef7rEQ&sig2=zCsUzMMemmsUVjU6_sYD1Q
steveintoronto
Superstar
Here's the connection for the Port of Melbourne sale to transit funding:
Government to use sale of Port of Melbourne lease to fund transport infrastructure projects
Updated 5 Mar 2014, 3:53am
The Victorian Government will sell the lease on the Port of Melbourne to fund future infrastructure projects.
The sale would raise billions of dollars to fund transport infrastructure projects such as the East West Link tunnel.
[...]
link below
Government to use sale of Port of Melbourne lease to fund transport infrastructure projects
Updated 5 Mar 2014, 3:53am
The Victorian Government will sell the lease on the Port of Melbourne to fund future infrastructure projects.
The sale would raise billions of dollars to fund transport infrastructure projects such as the East West Link tunnel.
[...]
link below
Melbourne's (and many of the Australian cities') transit plans make Canada look 'provincial' in comparison. (Note the Private Capital participation in this project):
[...]
Project description
The project will deliver two 9-kilometre rail tunnels from South Kensington to South Yarra via the CBD. There will be five new underground stations, to be known as Arden, Parkville, CBD North, CBD South and Domain. The line will run from the north-west to the south-east and combine the Sunbury line with the Cranbourne/Pakenham line.
Whilst the rail tunnel is the centrepiece of the project, further works will also be carried out on the Craigieburn and Upfield lines and complement existing projects underway on the Dandenong line, to create four 'metro-style lines which each run independent of each other. This includes the provision of high speed signalling, level crossing removals, track and station improvements and additional train stabling facilities. In addition to this, High Capacity Metro Trains will be procured to add further capacity to the network.
Current status
Map of the planned route
With the election of the Andrews Government in November 2014, the project was positioned as a priority for ongoing future development and eventual construction.
On 18 February 2015, Premier Daniel Andrews announced $40 million had been allocated to commence detailed planning works, community consultation, route design and development of a refreshed business case. The balance, some $260 million, is to be delivered in the May 2015/16 Victorian State Budget.[3] It was revealed that a line of credit facility, originally proposed for the now-cancelled East West Link, would be used to provide up to $3 billion in funding for the project, over the forward estimates.
Andrews announced in April 2015 that $1.5 billion would be allocated in the upcoming 2015/16 State Budget for the full cost of pre-construction works, geo technical drilling, land and property acquisition and detailed route investigations.[4] This is on top of a previously announced $300 million earlier in the year. Furthermore, some 150 bore holes will be dug along the route across Melbourne to investigate soil and ground composition, including the Yarra River.[5]
In October 2015 the government announced it had abandoned earlier plans to run the tunnel just metres beneath Swanston Street and above the existing City Loop tunnels and instead place parts of the project 40 metres underground between CBD North and CBD South stations. The decision was made to reduce disruption to trams and traders on Swanston Street and avoid removing critical utilities, such as telecommunication lines, from beneath the street.[6] The government said it would compulsorily acquire the properties of 63 households and 31 businesses at several locations on the tunnel route.[7]
In January 2016 soil testing and drilling began in the Yarra River.[8] In February 2016, CPB Contractors, a John Holland/KBR consortium and a Lend Lease/Coleman Rail consortium were shortlisted to bid for the early works.[9]
On 22 June 2016 the Office of the Premier of Victoria announced the consortium granted the first contract for construction was CPB Contractors, with a $324 million Works Package which includes the excavation of 35 meter deep open shafts adjacent to Swanston Street to enable the underground construction of the two new city stations, and the relocation of up to 100 subterranean utilities. Works on the shafts are to start in 2017, whilst utility relocation's will start in July 2016.[10][11]
In August 2016, three consortia were shortlisted to bid for the contract:[12]
- Continuum Victoria: Acciona Infrastructure, Ferrovial Agroman, Honeywell, Downer Rail & Plenary Group
- Moving Melbourne Together: Pacific Partnerships, CPB Contractors, Ghella, Salini Impregilo, Serco & Macquarie Capital
- Yarra Partnership: Lend Lease, John Holland, Bouygues & Capella Capital
- [...]
WislaHD
Superstar
@steveintoronto
Awesome! Good delivery. It is a lot to read through, but very interesting especially since Australia has a similar federalist system to us.
We have a thread for this kind of discussion, New Transit Funding Sources, where you should repost these links. The people who read that thread will be more receptive to discussing this, and it will be more on-topic than on here.
Awesome! Good delivery. It is a lot to read through, but very interesting especially since Australia has a similar federalist system to us.
We have a thread for this kind of discussion, New Transit Funding Sources, where you should repost these links. The people who read that thread will be more receptive to discussing this, and it will be more on-topic than on here.
steveintoronto
Superstar
Wisla: Thanks for reception. Wasn't aware of that forum, will post there, and present summaries here to fit more with the gist of the forum premise. What's happening in Oz will start showing more in the Cdn press. Oddly, the Aussies point to the UK as the source of their model, itself a source of concern, since the UK model has glitched in a number of ways we must be careful not to repeat.
"very interesting especially since Australia has a similar federalist system to us." lol...indeed, even much of the chafing as to jurisdiction, financing, planning, etc. Some of the vids were painfully familiar.
To get back to Tory though, he's already making a mess of the challenge presented to him. He's yet to mention the pending
Private infrastructure bank will put Canada on a path to growth
The Globe and Mail-Oct 29, 2016
And yet that might be one of his most powerful alternative routes to pursue. All it would take to allay much of his present predicament is an announcement stating: "I've become aware, as many of you have, of the announced Federal Investment Bank. We are waiting on some of the Infrastructure Investment Funds promised to us, but now potentially being delivered from a different source in a more potent form. We're looking into this intently to see how this can improve our position on a number of announced City initiatives".
But the man is unable to back his car out of the ditch, let alone get onto a better road. He has yet to even admit he's in a ditch!
Videodrome
Senior Member
That would explain his absence.
jje1000
Senior Member
Not sure how I feel about this, but I do like the idea of allowing unions to bid for work- allowing competition into the public sector without union-busting.
https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/20...ation-debate-likely-to-be-deferred-again.html
https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/20...ation-debate-likely-to-be-deferred-again.html
salsa
Senior Member
Just one more example of how Tory's idiotic budget cuts are damaging the city.
Toronto’s chief planner, staff concerned over lack of resources to manage development
https://www.thestar.com/news/city_h...-lack-of-resources-to-manage-development.html
Toronto’s chief planner, staff concerned over lack of resources to manage development
https://www.thestar.com/news/city_h...-lack-of-resources-to-manage-development.html
Towered
Senior Member
Well that seals it for me. I can't support him anymore. The only thing at this point that could get me to vote for Tory again would be if Doug Ford were to run against him again.
salsa
Senior Member
A must-read article on what's happening with Toronto Hydro.
https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/20...st-discussion-about-toronto-hydro-keenan.html
https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/20...st-discussion-about-toronto-hydro-keenan.html
jje1000
Senior Member
Death by a thousand cuts?
Toss in the ill-advised children-ride-free (easily abused by teenagers), along with the mandatory 2.5 cut imposed by Tory and we're headed straight back into the 90s.
https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2016/11/17/ttc-set-to-increase-fares-for-sixth-straight-year.html
https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/20...utes-regularly-exceed-crowding-standards.html
Toss in the ill-advised children-ride-free (easily abused by teenagers), along with the mandatory 2.5 cut imposed by Tory and we're headed straight back into the 90s.
https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2016/11/17/ttc-set-to-increase-fares-for-sixth-straight-year.html
https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/20...utes-regularly-exceed-crowding-standards.html
WislaHD
Superstar
I feel in the same boat, and I am someone who is more open to a red tory type of politician.
The problem is, I don't think people in this city are paying attention. John Tory is still celebrating high approval ratings.
And tbh, I still hear things like "well for all his vices, at least Rob Ford saved the city a lot of money" on a daily basis from otherwise reasonable people. I think it is just a minority of us who pay attention to the politics, and most people who don't and are opposed to him, were already opposed to him on ideological grounds and never voted for him in the first place.
W. K. Lis
Superstar
Tory would beat Doug Ford by wide margin: Poll
From The Toronto Sun, at this link:
That's with a popular vote of course, across the entire city. If we had a ward-orial vote (like the U.S. electoral vote, which Trump won [290 vs. 232] against Clinton's wining the popular vote [61,201,031 vs. 62,523,126]), there might be a different result.
From The Toronto Sun, at this link:
That's with a popular vote of course, across the entire city. If we had a ward-orial vote (like the U.S. electoral vote, which Trump won [290 vs. 232] against Clinton's wining the popular vote [61,201,031 vs. 62,523,126]), there might be a different result.
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steveintoronto
Superstar
It is, of course, very early as to any centrist contenders taking a good lead, but at the least, it's comforting to know Ford has engine trouble. The muffler's blown too, but won't go there. The reliability of polls is not what it used to be though. They just got Trumped big time in the US.