Johnny Au
Senior Member
I voted for Chow. I hope that John Tory implements some of Olivia Chow's bus plans as mayor before starting up the SmartTrack plan.
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- Thread starter denfromoakvillemilton
- Start date
kEiThZ
Superstar
Tory is already pivoting on Smart Track. Heard him on Newstalk 1010, saying he'll have to discuss Smart Track with the province and how it fits into GO electrification.
I'll be highly surprised if this Smart Track doesn't get rolled into Go electrification.
I'll be highly surprised if this Smart Track doesn't get rolled into Go electrification.
AlvinofDiaspar
Moderator
Wynne already said it:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news...n-tory-from-china-hallelujah/article21340642/
AoD
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news...n-tory-from-china-hallelujah/article21340642/
AoD
ehlow
Senior Member
The important thing is the TTC service improvements report with things like POP, which will be voted by council as a whole. Tory did talk about better bus service with more express bus service. Call me an optimist but Tory does talk about doing what we can to improve transit now, and I think he'll generally be supportive of improving transit service.
He's always said that, and anyone who became mayor would need to talk to the province/Metrolinx as their first step. Rob Ford did it 4 years ago. SmartTrack was always a rebranding and building off of GO RER/electrification & the GO corridor projects.
We all suspected the provincial Liberals wanted Tory in, and this confirms it. Of course they're happy about SmartTrack, since they were planning to do 80% of that anyways, as I've been saying all along.
They're probably also happy that it's "regional", since it connects with Mississauga & Markham, and that it and the subway extension makes Scarborough happy, since Scarborough Liberal MPPs have prominent positions.
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I am very tired of the lumping together of all of Etobicoke as one vote.
Ford took Etobicoke's north three wards. Tory took Etobicoke's south three wards.
So, who was it that Etobicoke fully supported again?
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It was always going to be the case that it would be "rolled in". Tory can't just take over rails that the province has spent years buying up from CN and CP so that they could build a viable commuter rail system, one which is now eyed for conversion to regional express rail. Why on earth would they just hand a couple of lines over?
In the end, this will be stick handled by politicos who can dole out brownie points for both their provincial and civic darlings. Wynne will get GO RER props overall, and Tory will get props for bringing in more stations and fare restructuring (even though Wynne was already planning this).
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TheTigerMaster
Superstar
I applause your optimism, but I find it rather naive and misplaced. Tory has promised, and correct me if I'm wrong, to raise property taxes at or below the rate of inflation. Mayor Tory and our next Council will have to deal with a $300 Million budget crisis in December. Unless Tory backtracks on his unachievable promise to keep taxes at or below the rate of inflation, there will be massive cuts to public services, including the TTC.
TheTigerMaster
Superstar
I hope Mayor JT and TO City Council will have the responsibility to raise our taxes, above the rate of inflation, in the next budget. I fear that our low taxes will be the death of our city's prosperity.
ehlow
Senior Member
There's 4 years ahead, the entire council is voting on stuff like the budget and what to spend it on. It's impossible to know exactly what will happen, it depends on more than just who was elected mayor and what that person said before the election.
innsertnamehere
Superstar
where is this $300 million number coming from again?? is that operating or capital?
Even if they need to spend $300 million, thats still only a 3.125% increase.
Even if they need to spend $300 million, thats still only a 3.125% increase.
TheTigerMaster
Superstar
kEiThZ
Superstar
People now take it as obvious that Smart Track will be rolled into GO RER. Why the scepticism during the election?
Also interesting that it seems like Queen's Park and Tory may have already had some back channel or backdoor discussions. So all those claims about Smart Track being unachievable?
Also interesting that it seems like Queen's Park and Tory may have already had some back channel or backdoor discussions. So all those claims about Smart Track being unachievable?
TheTigerMaster
Superstar
Yeah of course. But I still find your optimism completely misplaced. Whether or not bus services are improved will depend of if Tory and City Council prioritizes keeping taxes low over improving social services. Given that Tory is a fiscal conservative and that keeping taxes at the current rate of inflation will provide a quick political win for Tory, I expect him to prioritize maintaining our ridiculously low taxes, at the expense of social services, including the TTC. After Torontonians see just how bad things will get because of our low taxes in 2015, then maybe Tory will be more open to the tax increases, above the rate of inflation, that our city so desperately needs.
innsertnamehere
Superstar
because rolling it into GO RER makes it go away, it doesn't implement it. Changing it to better fare setups on GO does not magically make an $8 billion plan appear.
ehlow
Senior Member
We'll see what happens. Some of the things on that report were not extremely expensive (like POP enforcement staff). It's not as impossible as you seem to be implying for some of the recommendations on that report to pass council.