Murray juggling urbanism with politics
The first thing you need to know about Ontario Transportation Minister Glen Murray is that he’s a talker.
The second thing to understand is that he’s big on cities. Indeed, Murray first came to national prominence because, as mayor of Winnipeg, he would speak often and openly about the importance of Toronto to that city and the province of which it is capital, Manitoba.
That may not have endeared him to Winnipeggers, but it made him a popular guy here in the centre of the universe. Now the two-term MPP from downtown Toronto and senior provincial transportation official has committed the cardinal political sin of telling the media what he really thinks, in this case, about the province’s much-parsed transit plan, The Big Move.
Speaking to a reporter Wednesday, Murray questioned the scheme’s overall lack of connectivity and wondered aloud about how well it serves regional transit needs.
His points, especially the connectivity part, are valid. But what Murray apparently forgot is that transit plans for the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area are more about moving politicians than passengers.
Murray’s remarks fly in the face of the endless discussion and compromise that got The Big Move to where it is today. The realities with which Metrolinx has to deal are more political than physical or economic. The provincial transportation agency must negotiate a landscape shaped by municipal rivalries, civic jealousies and voter resentment. It is an inhospitable topography on which many such plans have foundered.
In an ideal world of political enlightenment and bottomless budgets, the GTHA would be seamlessly serviced by a transit network that connected one part of the region to another. Alas, such is not the case. One day later, the result of his outburst is a minister in full retreat.
“We’re not revisiting the projects or revisiting the plan,” Murray told the Star Thursday. “The Big Move is foundational to reducing congestion and increasing mobility. Once we build the 15 projects, we’ve got to think about connecting them better. We’ve got to make sure we’re optimizing the projects. I’ve led a municipal government; I’m very good at getting things done.”
Sadly, Murray’s good intentions are the stuff with which the road to decent transit, like the one to hell, is paved. The minister’s timing couldn’t have been worse. Just
One day later, the result of his outburst is a minister in full retreat
weeks before Metrolinx releases its menu of revenue-raising options, he has introduced an element of uncertainty into the process, which this transit-starved region needs like a hole in the head. In a statement released Thursday, Murray sounded much more like a conventional politician. “People need to know what they are paying for,” he said, “they need to see where the money is going.” Bowing to local sensitivities while also sounding like a former mayor of Winnipeg, he made it clear that, “Those living in northern or eastern Ontario will not be paying for projects in the GTHA but they will benefit from them as the projects will relieve congestion, providing a better economy and business environment to move goods and services around more efficiently.” It’s interesting that sentiments like these sound much more altruistic coming from Manitoba than Queen’s Park. Murray, who’s also responsible for the Toronto waterfront, seems happiest talking about innovation, knowledge economies, the war for talent and the like. He’s conversant with Jane Jacobs, Richard Florida and believes that cities are where Canada’s future will play out. As always, the question is how to get us there. The answer, of course, depends on who you ask — an urbanist or a politician.chume@thestar.com