Replies raise questions about PCs’ stance on honouring past funding commitments

Provincial parties weigh in on city’s transit priorities

The future of the City of Ottawa’s latest transit aspiration for the southern suburbs comes down to the provincial election Thursday.

The Liberals, Progressive Conservatives and NDP have indicated support for the city’s Stage 2 rail extensions, which will require about $1.2 billion from the province.

In what was one of the final acts of the term for the Ontario Liberal government before the official election campaign, the province on May 3 committed to pay an additional $50 million toward the $80-million Trillium Line extension between the formerly planned terminus at Bowesville Road and the proposed new terminus just west of Limebank Road in Riverside South.

As his tradition during provincial and federal elections, Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson sent the parties questions about where they stand on city priorities, including one on the $50 million for the diesel train extension deeper into Riverside South.

Watson on Tuesday noted the vagueness about the PC party’s support for the extra $50 million in provincial funds.

“Phase 2 now includes that extension to Riverside South, so I’m hoping their candidates and their supporters will encourage them to be more specific on that question,” Watson said at city hall.

“I’m interpreting the response that (PC Leader Doug Ford) supports all of Phase 2 as including the $50 million for Riverside South because that’s in important part of the equation for the south part of the city.”

The extension would cut through the provincial riding of Carleton, where Goldie Ghamari is representing the PC party in the election.

Asked about her position on the Riverside South rail extension, Ghamari said she would advocate for the extension.

“For 15 years the Liberal government has failed our community,” Ghamari said in an email sent by her campaign. “Only when an election comes along do they suddenly promise everything to everybody. The Ontario PC Party is fully committed to Ottawa light rail transit. I will be a strong voice in favour of the additional extension into Riverside South. We are going to move full steam ahead with this project.”

If the next provincial government doesn’t provide $50 million, the city still has the option of building the extension with its own money or by further asking the development community to help raise funds. The city has been working with Urbandale Corp., a major home builder in the suburb, on an area-specific development charge to help fund the rail extension.

Watson’s questionnaire to the parties largely asks if they would keep Liberal commitments announced during the course of the party ’s rule. There questions about transit, housing, gas tax transfers, long-term care and infrastructure

No surprise here: the Liberals said they would keep their funding commitments and bolster those programs. So would the NDP. The PCs didn’t answer many of the questions directly.

Watson asked the parties if they would continue the provincial uploading agreement he signed as minister as municipal affairs in the Dalton McGuinty Liberal government. The phased-in 10year agreement, which ends this year, transferred social assistance and court security costs from the municipal property tax base to the province.

Watson said Tuesday the upload agreement “is my No. 1 preoccupation.”

The Liberals and NDP said they would maintain the uploading agreement. The PCs didn’t address the question in the letter sent by Ford, who responded to the mayor’s questionnaire on behalf of the party.

Watson said he doesn’t know what a PC government would be like for the city. The amalgamated City of Ottawa has known only one governing party in Ontario for most of its existence since the 2001 municipal amalgamation. The Liberals have been in power since 2003. Watson left the provincial government and was elected Ottawa mayor in 2010. City hall and Queen’s Park have had a cosy relationship since then.

Acknowledging his political bias, Watson said he would “tilt my hand toward what the Liberals have done for the simple reason they ’ve been good partners with us,” but he sees proposals in each of the Liberal, PC and NDP platforms that would be good for the city.

“My hope is, regardless of who wins, that they continue a strong partnership so that there’s not this quibbling and squabbling back and forth between city halls across Ontario and Queen’s Park,” Watson said.

“And secondly, that the local MPPs continue to act as strong advocates, regardless of what side of the legislature they’re sitting on.”