Well, there's no question the Liberals are partly to blame but MORE than Ford (or Harris)? That I find hard to concede. They've invested billions, they created Metrolinx - they did all the right things. And then they chickened out, acquiesced and undermined their own work - but they are still doing good things.
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Ford (with the help of McGuinty) made one change (albeit, a significant one). That is: in one fell swoop removed the FWLRT, switched in-median Eglinton East to underground EC-SLRT, and changed the Prov SELRT to a City subway. But this MOU lasted only +/- 1.5yrs. I guess some can claim the subsequent SRT-to-Scarb Subway switchup was Ford’s doing, but I wouldn’t.
Whereas since 2007 the Prov made significant changes to plans (e.g recently brought in RER), rescinded funds (e.g TC Phase 2), ignored priorities (e.g Relief Line), put forward major plans that weren’t workable (e.g Yonge North w/out a Relief plan), actually
signed the Ford/Eglinton MOU (not to mention offered a Sheppard Subway as a quid pro quo) etc. Now, I’m not discounting their commitment to transportation infrastructure and their funding of it. It’s fantastic. But the fact of the matter is that they created way more changes, fell back on way more promises, and screwed phasings of plans way more than that slow-witted POS ever could.
As for any vague ideas of Ford being an "instigator". I guess, in some ways. But people and local politicians were generally fairly cool to LRT (particularly Sheppard), and they were the ones who elected this 'instigator'. Imagine if Yonge North ends up falling off the table, then years later re-emerged as a proposal for the original BRT. People would be angry, and would probably elect an instigator who promises to get that subway built for them. But considering the low ridership north of Steeles, the anger wouldn’t even come close to the anger felt by those along Sheppard and in Scarborough with the SELRT.
And in many ways, the current gov't instigated on the issue of suburban subways just as much as Ford did.