Ford fallout dominates council agenda
Debates at meeting stem from changes proposed by province
Fallout from Premier Doug Ford’s decisions dominated Toronto city council’s February meeting.
The former Etobicoke councillor and his Ontario Progressive Conservative government have, since cutting the size of council itself last fall, proposed a barrage of legislative changes, many with potentially dramatic effects on Toronto.
One is the Ford government’s determination to upload the building and maintenance of Toronto’s subway system to the Ontario government, while leaving the TTC responsible for day-to-day operations and keeping fare-box revenues.
Toronto council voted 30-6 last May to officially oppose the transfer but has since agreed on a framework to have explorato- ry discussions with provincial officials on how the upload would work.
Councillor Josh Matlow, a vocal critic of the plan, who says Ford wants only to seize control of subway system land and valuable “air rights” to build above them, sought Tuesday to have council approve a cityfunded ad blitz telling Torontonians why the upload deal is bad for them. Messages on TTC vehicles and loudspeakers would say there is nothing stopping the Ford government from building mass transit without uploading subways, and the Ontario government contributes far less per rider to transit than do other North American governments.
But Mayor John Tory and his allies voted 14-12 to not debate the proposal. Instead, it will go to the March meeting of Tory’s executive committee when the city manager will give an update on upload discussions. Tory’s hand-picked committee could modify the ad blitz proposal before it goes back to council, or shelve it altogether.
Matlow said after the vote: “While Doug Ford and members of his government are actively pursuing a messaging campaign on why the province should upload Toronto’s subway, there has not been an effort by the city to give Torontonians access to facts, and understand the consequence of losing some of most valuable assets, our land and air rights.
“We don’t have time to wait. The clock is ticking. The Ford government is preparing legislation now to upload subways — these negotiations are just about them understanding how to do it well and quickly.”
Ontario Transportation Minister Jeff Yurek told the Ontario Good Roads Association on Monday his government and the city “are working to ensure that more subway lines will get built more quickly,” according to his speech notes. “An upload of subway infrastructure to the province will get transit built faster and fulfil our campaign commitment to the building and maintenance of new and existing subways lines.”
Tory spokesperson Don Peat noted in an email that council reaffirmed in December the position that subways should stay with Toronto, but also to start exploratory talks with the Ford government. A city legal opinion obtained by the Star said the city has little chance to block an upload.
“Today, Council voted to make sure both items — the city manager’s report and the issues raised in Councillor Matlow’s motion — will be at the executive committee for discussion and feedback from residents,” Peat wrote.
Council also debated how to respond to proposed amendments to the growth plan for the greater Golden Horseshoe area aimed at boosting residential development, particularly around transit stations. Council asked for a host of changes to the provincial plans, including a request to protect 95 per cent of Toronto’s “employment lands” from potential conversion to residential real estate.
Councillor Gord Perks tried and failed to convince colleagues to try to protect 100 per cent of the land earmarked for jobs, after a senior city staff member said converting Toronto employment lands to more lucrative residential zoning would net developers “billions of dollars, maybe tens of billions.”
Losing job lands means Torontonians commuting farther to work, Perks said, and neighbourhoods altered without city input. The city earns more property tax revenues per square metre from corporate land than it does from homes.