Transit Games in Toronto- Federal Edition

9 posts / 0 new

Sun, 2013-09-22 18:22

Brachina

Well Harper has side swiped Premier Wynn by Announce funding for Ford's transit plan, note not her's and while said thier was support from all three levels the Provincial Government was absent from the Photo Op. Just the latest in this endless series of games over public transit in TO.

Next Obama will offer funding with his own plan and after that it will be the General Secariary of the UN with funding and his own plan. I guess its better then when people didn't want to touch TO with a 10 foot pole. When it rains it pours.

Any thoughts on the Politics behind all this, especially Harper's angle.

Sat, 2021-11-27 11:39

jfb

Mon, 2013-09-23 18:18

mark_alfred

The province earlier said it would go it alone without the feds or the city, since neither had offered money, but their plan was short of what the city wanted. Now the feds have said they'll support the city's plan (note, there have been many, so this is one of the city's plans that focuses on subways in Scarborough), but that support would require the province to divvy up more cash than they previously had offered, and it would require the city to find cash as well -- something that, I think, was unspecified in the announcement (is Ford planning to implement new taxes to pay for this?). So, yes, it's games. I believe it will be a long time before shovels are in the ground.

Tue, 2013-09-24 12:59

Junkyard Dog

Does Harper have something against Tim Hudak? I know the Fords consider him an enemy/in the way because DoFo is setting his sights on Hudak's job, but why should Harper care about that? He's such a high-handed, autocratic thug, one imagines he'd view any competent minion as being much the same as another.

Sat, 2021-11-27 11:39

jfb

Tue, 2013-09-24 15:15

Junkyard Dog

I dunno, Jan. I can't help thinking that Harper - who may be evil but is not considered to be stupid by any means - may be seeing the dangers of the next election. People are absolutely sick of him, and I suspect he knows that on some level. So as long as we're just speculating, is it possible this is nothing more than one final "Fuck You!" to Toronto? This ridiculous transit mess could drag on for years yet (and still might not even amount to anything in the end), but if he's not going to be around for much longer anyway, why worry about it? I don't doubt for a second that, like Mike Harris and the Ford brothers, Harper genuinely hates Toronto.

And, yeah, he may be willing to give a leg up to a like-minded soul, but as you said earlier, this is an affront to Hudak, and I just can't see Harper favoring a pair of loose canons like the Fords over a reasonably capable administrator...if, indeed, Hudak is all that capable. I know he's not exactly setting the world on fire, but surely he's preferable to the wild-eyed likes of Rob Ford?

Tue, 2013-09-24 16:29

socialdemocrati...

Yeah, I think part of this is making a play for Toronto. Imagine that local politicians now get to blame the Province instead of the Feds.

Wed, 2013-09-25 11:42

Junkyard Dog

And the Ontario Liberals are already making noises about weaseling out of the deal:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/toronto/federal-funds-soften-provinces-stance/article14489013/

“We are not walking away from a project that is fully funded for one that isn’t,” said Transportation Minister Glen Murray, adding that the financing for the city’s plan falls $1-billion short. “We’re far from having a fully funded plan yet.

God only knows how this debacle will end up.

Wed, 2013-09-25 15:33

mark_alfred

It's a play for votes in Scarborough. Games that Ford, the O.Libs (Murray), and now Harper are playing. Murray and the Ontario Libs are the real idiots here. The O.Libs should have proceeded with Transit City back when Miller was in office, instead of obstructing it and sending in Smitherman to derail Miller's candidacy. Now Murray's asinine game of chicken that he played with Ford and Harper is exploding in his face. Both the current provincial Liberal plan and City council's plan are idiotic wastes of money that would take forever to complete, are under-financed, and even if completed, would further exasperate congestion in the downtown stations.

I will say that Ford is quite amazing in his ability to set the agenda. He's set the tone of transit debate in Scarborough, which ultimately is derailing public service and government. This lessening of effective public policy making in government ultimately benefits big business.