Conservatives and Toronto’s Rob Ford Nation – Subways please…

Interestingly enough this election may be a boon for the G.T.A. Not that Toronto can expect the Conservatives to only pander to their needs. As the Prime Minister said last night “we will govern for all Canadians“. Despite that the Liberals took for granted the support of Torontonians and the G.T.A. For years, we voted for the Liberals without our needs being heard. Now the Conservatives will have to listen. However, my take is the Conservatives will take a page out of Rob Ford‘s book. Rob said “we will get subways”. Will the Conservatives deliver? I imagine that they will have to. Why? Rob Ford nation is a powerful force. Although he is now mayor and tends to be on the right-wing of the political spectrum, Rob is not afraid to push his agenda and fight for what he believes. The Conservatives would be wise to not upset Toronto’s exalted leader. He wants subways and an end to waste. The Conservatives will have to deliver. He wants Toronto’s common-sense issues listened to. The Conservatives will have to deliver. The Conservatives can no longer ignore Toronto. The Prime Minister had a strategy to target the G.T.A and it worked. Albeit, a lot of vote splitting happened. It does not matter. They solidified their base, in the G.T.A and gained additional votes. You cannot take that away from the Conservatives. However, much care is needed. Ontarians are also sometimes not as forgiving. The Conservatives would be wise to not follow their Liberal predecessors. Do not take that vote for granted!

By Mannee Jay

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Government fails Toronto Transit again! Transit City is now dead, who can be trusted?

Rocco Rossi will not have to keep his promise to kill Transit City. Dalton and the Liberals may have done it for him? Is this one of the “dumbest decisions ever made?” The government seems to be following in the footsteps of its predescesors and the Mike Harris Progressive Conservatives, when similar projects were ended without understanding the long-term investment in Transit for a viable city. What do you think? Who is fighting for Toronto and the G.T.A?

The G.T.A Patriot

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Fri, 2010-03-26 05:40.

Cheryl Camack

As a part of the Thursday’s provincial budget the McGuinty government announced a belt-tightening of $4 billion over five years that will derail the expansion of public transit projects, essentially cutting Mayor David Miller’s Transit City funding by half.

In a press conference in his city hall office, a seething Miller says he’s “beyond disappointed” by the cuts.

Miller says this is unacceptable to him and it should be to the people of Toronto.

“You don’t balance budget’s by stopping building the future–that’s the job of the government”

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Liberal budget swipes away Transit City funding

Should we now reallocate funding for Transit City?

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Time to get more use out of the Sheppard Subway line and go west?

To be honest, I love subways and I have a bit of a bias towards the Sheppard Subway line. I have always believed that if the subway was completed, or at least ½ done, than it would have never been considered as an option to close or shut down, in the Toronto tax crunch. I still blame the Harris “conservatives” for their shortsighted plan to fill in the Eglinton West Subway dig, which was already well under way. Along with the plan to offer a no frills Sheppard subway line, stopping it at Don Mills, rather than the obvious Victoria Park, or even better yet Warden Avenue in Scarborough. Regardless, what was done is done and we have a subway that needs finishing. However, there maybe a better plan, that has not been considered. The fact is that the Sheppard line exists and it needs to be completed. One of the transportation issues, I have found, in the city is the lack of an east-west line across the top of the city. Now that the Liberal Government has decided that the subway will go to Vaughan; even though I feel that it should only go to York University for now, consideration should be given to the idea of completing the Sheppard Subway westwards and then curving the Sheppard line north-west to York University and beyond. It was pointed out to me by ‘Cal’, from the Toronto LRT information blog,

“that extending the Sheppard line west to Downsview then up to York U/Steeles may be a better use of the money in terms of providing a more useful connection and making the Sheppard line more useful.”

In addition, the Sheppard Subway lines signaling system and design are based on newer technology, which would allow greater flexibility in the operation of trains (I.e. driver-less subway cars, the possibility of multiple lines, operations in different directions, etc…). It has already been stated that millions (maybe more) would have to be spent to upgrade the Yonge-University and Spadina lines. If this is the case, why not simply complete the Sheppard line westwards, along Sheppard Avenue and then northwards? Along Sheppard we would only need a stop at Bathurst, for now and since the trains are only 4 cars long, for now the platforms could be a bit smaller (in terms of the amount of people using the line). In addition, albeit maybe a bit of pie in the sky thinking, but we could also consider imploring some New York Subway style options in the northern part of Toronto. I remember at one point, before the EA (Environment Assessment) was completed for the Spadina line to York University one of the Toronto councilors wanted the line to go along Finch westwards towards Jane & Finch and beyond, due to the high-density in the area.We all know that the TTC will not send all trains north into Vaughan. I believe that it will be every third train; however I could be wrong (anyone can update me on that one to correct me on the intervals). This means that there will need to be a larger trail-track or interchange at either the Steeles or YorkUniversity stations. If this is the case, why not send one portion northwards into Vaughan and the other westwards along Finch or better yet , using a cheaper option, the Finch Hydro corridor into Etobicoke and beyond, using a Sheppard-Vaughan-Finch line instead? This is just an idea; however I would hope that Toronto officials and the provincial government would think outside the box a bit and complete the Sheppard line. It’s just an idea, but I hope that the Sheppard line put to better use.You will notice that I am not advocating going eastwards to Scarborough Town Centre. I just believe that if we can “kill two birds with one stone”, than lets use the Sheppard Line to complete Greg Sorbara’s dream of a subway to Vaughan and get a little more use out of the subway. I am a big believer in portions of the “Transit City” plan, offered by the City of Toronto. I just feel that we need to somehow finish or put Sheppard to better use. Of course I would have preferred an LRT, for Sheppard in the past, but that was said and done (no sense crying over split milk). If we have no choice, in getting a line to YorkUniversity than why not maximize what we can do for the city, now? Once the Sheppard-Vaughan-Finch line is completed, then we can end this argument and stain on Toronto’s past. We can then move onto using LRT, light-rail and other forms of technology to move people around the Greater Toronto Area. The unfortunate thing is politics, may again get in the way or progress. I can only hope that officials in charge will do the right thing.

By: Andy MJ
a.k.a “The GTA Patriot”
Toronto, Ontario

Related articles

• Rob Ford still wants to build a subway (thestar.com)
• Sheppard subway versus LRT: Expect a close race (theglobeandmail.com)
• Mayor Rob Ford silent on buried Sheppard subway report (thestar.com)

The Sheppard line of Toronto – More than just empty subway cars

Adam McDowell files from North York in a story to be published in tomorrow’s Toronto Magazine:

That was pretty scary when David Miller threatened to shut down the Sheppard subway line, wasn’t it? At any rate, the gesture was meant to shock, even if some people’s reaction to the news was, “Oh yeah. I forgot there was a subway on Sheppard.” Opened in 2002 and derided ever since as a subway to nowhere, the Sheppard line represents, depending on whom you ask, a waste of taxpayer money, an example of poor transit planning or a testament to Mel Lastman’s ability to see his will fulfilled.

While a decision on the proposal to shut down the line has been postponed until September and City Hall watchers are 99% sure Miller and his allies are bluffing, just the threat of its demise made us appreciate it more — or at least want to appreciate it more. Here’s what transit riders could miss if the Sheppard line were to close its doors.

Yonge/Sheppard Station Where would you like to go for lunch? Boston Pizza? The Keg? McDonald’s? Or how about Joons for Korean or Deli Viet for Thai and Vietnamese? With its dozens of affordable, unchallenging lunch options, it seems as though this area’s entire purpose is to feed civil servants who work in the imposing federal government building at 4900 Yonge St. Bon appétit, bureaucrats!

Bayview Station Upscale shopping centre Bayview Village seems to get bigger every year, inflated by the influx of ugly condo dwellers into the area. I mean the condos are ugly, not their residents. They’re just overdressed.

Bessarion Station Suburban Bessarion Road has to be the quietest street to have a subway station named after it, but that will change as the massive Concord Park Place condo development takes shape over the next decade. Burger Hut at 804 Sheppard Ave. E. serves up great peameal bacon sandwiches as well as boerewors sausages, a nod to the area’s South African community. Its strip plaza neighbour Baxter’s sells biltong, chutneys and other South African treats.

Leslie Station They may as well have called it Ikea station, and yet a mess of bridges, train tracks and dead ends makes it all but impossible to walk from the station to the Swedish furniture retailer. Thankfully, there’s a shuttle to zip you to the store (details at ikea.com). Still, good luck lugging your new Extorp home on the TTC.

Don Mills Station Even in the midst of a major renovation, the relative calm of Fairview Mall could leave you wondering why you ever elbow your way through Yorkdale or the Eaton Centre. Fairview’s tranquility is why you have to come here to get the last one of that shirt in medium.

— Photo of Bessarion Station from David Topping’s TTC series.

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