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This isn’t the first time council members have requested funding for the transformation of the Scarborough Rapid Transit line. It seems now, however, that a group of councillors have not only elected to revive the idea, but have declared an ultimatum with Toronto: Scarborough will support the proposal for new transit taxes in exchange for a subway. In order for this to occur, councillors ask that the first $500-million from future transit revenue tools go towards building the subway line into Scarborough.
It is said that the $500-million will be enough to begin extending the Bloor-Danforth line three-stops east of Kennedy, which is expected to cost a total of $1.8-billion overall. The TTC believes this number to be under-estimated, and suggests that the real budget will be somewhere closer to $2.3-billion. An additional cost that needs to be considered is the renegotiation of the $8.4 billion light rail agreement with Metrolinks. Currently, Metrolinks intends to expand the LRT seven stops north-west after the Pan Am Games in 2015.
As can be seen, this is a heavily political debate. There is a lot of hypothetical tax-payers’ money in play and a few different places it can go, depending on which motions are accepted. It is believed that if Scarborough councillors persuade Toronto during the next council meeting to accept the ultimatum, the rest of the province will follow suit. But even though there are more and more councillors growing in favour of transforming the Scarborough RT, Mayor Rob Ford still has pull in this decision and is stuck between the two sides.
On one hand, Ford has vehemently opposed the idea of new transit taxes, yet on the other, extending the subway into Scarborough has been an ambition of his for a long time. Although he supports the notion, he will not bend on the taxes. Surely, this will come down to both a provincial and municipal discussion, one that will emerge during elections. As for the residents of Scarborough, they have already come to a decision. This is the second time councillors Ms. Stintz and Mr. De Baeremaeker have lobbied this idea, and Scarborough residents are getting tired of waiting for it to happen.
The decision of the council will need to not only consider budget, but also timing: which extension is currently more beneficial. As well, council members need to determine what will be done with the abandoned Scarborough RT if plans carry forward. Some suggest that it could cost millions just to bury it. Construction has already begun on the LRT elsewhere, so more money would need to be poured into tying up loose ends above Downsview. There are many factors to calculate into this decision and it is not one to be taken lightly.
