Driving Naari Programme launched in Chandigarh
Toronto: City council has voted 42-1 in favour of moving forward with the planning and design work for both the downtown relief subway line and an extension of the Yonge subway into York Region.
The vote came after a last-ditch effort from Coun. Josh Matlow to halt planning work on the five-stop Yonge subway extension and instead focus the city’s efforts on getting the relief line built.
During the lengthy debate, Matlow argued that it would be “irrational” to push forward a subway extension that would bring additional riders onto the Yonge subway when the line is expected to exceed capacity by 2031.
Mayor Tory, however, said that it is a simple “political reality” that the province will expect the subway extension to be undertaken concurrently with the $6.8 billion relief line.
Tory also said that the city is better off working with politicians in York Region to get both projects funded and built than working against them.
“When was the last time you heard them being supportive of a transit project in downtown Toronto?” he asked.
Planning will take design work to 15 to 30 per cent threshold
As part of its vote, city council also endorsed the Carlaw Avenue alignment for the relief subway line.
Staff endorsed that route over another route along Pape Avenue largely due to the the higher density along the Carlaw corridor south of Gerrard Street.
The planning work, which will take place over the next two years, will include some tunnel design and station configuration work as well as geotechnical work.
Once complete, the work will take the planning for both projects to the 15 to 30 per cent threshold required to develop a more precise cost estimate and schedule.
In addressing his colleagues on council, Tory called the impending vote a “bold step” that would finally get work started on the long-discussed relief subway line.
That said, some councillors did express concerns about advancing work on the Yonge subway extension while a large number of questions regarding that project remain unanswered.
Coun. Janet Davis said that she is concerned that the city will be on the hook for millions of dollars in operating costs for a subway extension that will mostly serve residents outside of Toronto.
She said the situation is not unlike the York Spadina subway extension, which is expected to cost the city $30 million annually once it opens in December.
“We are subsidizing the cost of all the York region riders that go on the Spadina line and if we don’t get a better deal on this line than we will be doing the same thing,” she said.
Planning for Yonge subway extension further ahead
Earlier on Wednesday, Deputy City Manager John Livey explained that planning for the Yonge subway extension is about five per cent completed and is actually further ahead than the planning for the relief line, which is at zero per cent.
That discrepancy prompted some councilors to wonder why the city is proceeding with the work on the Yonge subway extension at all.
TTC officials have repeatedly warned that parts of the Yonge subway line will be overcapacity by 2031, making any extension of the line a risky proposition.
“Why is it that the subway extension is further ahead than the relief line? Why do we keep advancing other projects when the number one priority for Toronto is the relief line?” Coun. Kristyn Wong-Tam said.
“Why are we investing our resources in a subway system beyond city boundaries? Even if the province pays for it it ties up TTC talent and resources,” Coun. James Pasternak added.
Tory had threatened to stop work on extension
Mayor Tory had previously said that he would consider halting the work on the Yonge subway extension until the province agrees to fund the relief subway line but last week he backed away from that threat, telling reporters that he would work alongside the mayors of Richmond Hill and Markham to make sure both the subway extension and the relief line get funded and built.
On Wednesday, the mayor was questioned about the reasons for his about-face and responded that he felt it was ultimately the best path to securing funding for the relief line, which he said remains his priority.
It should be noted that the $90 million cost of the next phase of planning on the Yonge subway extension is being jointly paid for by the province and York Region. The work itself, however, is being largely undertaken by TTC staff.
It also remains unclear who would cover the operating costs for the subway extension.
Questioned about those costs on Wednesday, TTC CEO Andy Byford conceded that it remains unclear how much it would cost to operate the three proposed stops outside of Toronto city limits as well as who would be footing the bill.
Nonetheless, Tory told council that he believes a united approach that would see both projects funded “concurrently” is still the best approach.
“I thought that it was better arrangement rather than being in conflict with all these mayors to have them supporting the relief line,” Tory said Wednesday.
Tory told council that the relief line must be in operation before any additional stations are opened on the Yonge line and promised that continuing work on the extension won’t change that.
“My concern of course principally is the relief line. I want that funded pronto. We now have some allies that are supporting us and I think that is very important,” he said.
Byford said that the relief line will take approximately eight years to build once shovels are in the ground, meaning that the time is of the essence for the completion of planning and design work on the new preferred alignment along Carlaw Avenue.
Tax rebate may be scrapped
After Tory’s key items are dealt with, council will debate dozens of other items, including the future of a tax rebate on vacate commercial properties that some have blamed for storefronts sitting unoccupied.
The motion that will be before council would authorize staff to ask the Province of Ontario to phase out the rebate over the next few years.
Under the plan, the rebate would be reduced from 30 per cent to 15 per cent for a period from July 1 of this year to June 30, 2018. The rebate would then be eliminated completely as of Canada Day, 2018.
According to a staff report, the city hands out about $23 million in tax rebates to the owners of vacant commercial and industrial buildings each year.
