chriskayTO
Active Member
Could anyone explain how that could happen? I can't see it.
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- Thread starter W. K. Lis
- Start date
kEiThZ
Superstar
The reforms are great news. A great decision from the McGuinty government. Though, part of me suspect that the bureaucrats are being brought in now in part to help make the coming pitch on tolls and other funding methods more feasible.
afransen
Senior Member
A government after my own heart. It makes me feel a little better about the jokers in Ottawa.
RedRocket191
Senior Member
It's really just about them just owning the line on paper. It won't affect the service at all.
It's like if a parent buys their kid a car. The car is in the parent's name even though the kid is the one who drives it every day.
waterloowarrior
Senior Member
Steve Munro's post on the subject..
not a big fan I guess..
not sure if I'd agree with this, my impression is that they want all those things.
not a big fan I guess..
not sure if I'd agree with this, my impression is that they want all those things.
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khris
Senior Member
Politicians shunned in transit planning overhaul
Rob Ferguson
Tess Kalinowski
STAFF REPORTERS
AARON HARRIS/TORONTO STAR FILE PHOTO
Outgoing Torstar chief executive Robert Prichard says his job is to be "the transition adviser."
In a bid to speed up transit improvements in the Toronto region, the province has evicted all municipal politicians from the board of Metrolinx and merged the transportation planning agency with GO Transit.
Integrating GO with the planning expertise at Metrolinx will help get "shovels in the ground" faster on projects, Transportation Minister Jim Bradley said.
"All you have to do is get on our roadways at the present time and crawl along to see what it's like to understand the need for these projects moving forward," Bradley told reporters.
While the takeover of GO has been anticipated since the province set up Metrolinx in 2006, the replacement of politicians on the board with finance, planning and GO board experts suggests that Queen's Park had grown impatient with the board's progress on such issues as public-private partnerships and the implementation of a regional fare card.
Former Burlington mayor Rob MacIsaac will continue as part-time Metrolinx board chair under legislation unveiled yesterday while remaining as head of Mohawk College in Hamilton.
But Toronto Mayor David Miller and TTC chair Adam Giambrone, along with six other region chairs and mayors, will be replaced by experts more "geared" to getting transit lines built, Bradley said.
Hired as an adviser to lead the transition to the new board is outgoing Torstar Corp. chief executive Robert Prichard. Prichard steps down from Torstar, parent company of the Toronto Star, on May 6.
Bradley said the new law, called the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area Transit Implementation Act, would provide more integrated transit service around the region. Municipal transit systems like the TTC will not be included.
Insiders said the new board structure will limit "turf wars" between politicians protecting their local interests and hampering better links between municipal transit systems.
Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion, who is among the ousted board members, said the board didn't have enough authority.
"You need an independent board to make the decisions that have to be made for the good of the people," she said. "That's who we're here to serve. They'll have a board with power that can get the job done."
At a Feb. 17 Toronto Star editorial board meeting, Miller had warned "it would be really unwise strategically" to remove politicians from the Metrolinx board.
"We understand the connections between transportation and planning and the provincial government and environmental objectives. It's a unique skill set that nobody from the private sector could have," Miller said.
Miller issued a statement yesterday praising the progress of Metrolinx under its old board and promising to protect Toronto's Transit City plan to stretch light-rail lines into the suburbs.
"I will fight to ensure that public transit remains public and that the governance of it is open, transparent and accountable," he said.
With no local politicians on the new board, the directors are accountable to the minister of transportation and through him to the Legislature, provincial officials said.
The board could not, for example, raise its members' own wages because those are controlled for all provincial agencies, boards and commissions by the government's management board. Any hikes in GO fares would be set as they are now – by the board in consultation with the province, which means they are essentially approved by the minister before being announced.
Rumours of differences within the Metrolinx board and between the politicians and Metrolinx staff have persisted almost since its first meeting, in March 2007. Reports that leaked out of the agency suggested it was looking for more authority over municipal transit systems, including the TTC.
As recently as January, Metrolinx hastily withdrew a report from its website that blamed the TTC for stalling on the province's plan to implement the Presto smart fare card across nine regional transit systems. A new version of that report was expected to be brought before the April board meeting.
Toronto was also criticized by some for putting too many conditions in front of a plan to extend the Yonge subway into York Region.
Bradley said municipal politicians will continue to discuss transit issues with the Metrolinx board and the ministry. While he said the public will have input, the new board's meetings will be closed when budgets and the five-year "rolling" capital plan for new projects are being discussed, to encourage "full and frank discussion" of issues.
Prichard said he will be paid $215,000 a year to help get the two agencies integrated and hire a new chief executive officer for Metrolinx – a job he is not interested in himself.
"My job is to be the transition adviser," said the former University of Toronto president, noting it will probably take three months to a year to accomplish, and his pay will be pro-rated.
"I'm not a transit expert. Hopefully I know something about public and private management and can do that task and be the transition adviser and catalyst. Get it done. Faster is better than slower, from my perspective."
Prichard said he does not take GO Transit because he lives downtown above a TTC station, and while he does not ride the subway to work every day, he does take it "lots."
GO's managing director and CEO, Gary McNeil, will stay on as head, said Peter Smith, the departing GO chair, who remains as vice-chair of Metrolinx.
The new organization will "speed up" the $11.5 billion worth of MoveOntario 2020 projects announced by Premier Dalton McGuinty in June 2007, said Smith.
Source
Rob Ferguson
Tess Kalinowski
STAFF REPORTERS
AARON HARRIS/TORONTO STAR FILE PHOTO
Outgoing Torstar chief executive Robert Prichard says his job is to be "the transition adviser."
In a bid to speed up transit improvements in the Toronto region, the province has evicted all municipal politicians from the board of Metrolinx and merged the transportation planning agency with GO Transit.
Integrating GO with the planning expertise at Metrolinx will help get "shovels in the ground" faster on projects, Transportation Minister Jim Bradley said.
"All you have to do is get on our roadways at the present time and crawl along to see what it's like to understand the need for these projects moving forward," Bradley told reporters.
While the takeover of GO has been anticipated since the province set up Metrolinx in 2006, the replacement of politicians on the board with finance, planning and GO board experts suggests that Queen's Park had grown impatient with the board's progress on such issues as public-private partnerships and the implementation of a regional fare card.
Former Burlington mayor Rob MacIsaac will continue as part-time Metrolinx board chair under legislation unveiled yesterday while remaining as head of Mohawk College in Hamilton.
But Toronto Mayor David Miller and TTC chair Adam Giambrone, along with six other region chairs and mayors, will be replaced by experts more "geared" to getting transit lines built, Bradley said.
Hired as an adviser to lead the transition to the new board is outgoing Torstar Corp. chief executive Robert Prichard. Prichard steps down from Torstar, parent company of the Toronto Star, on May 6.
Bradley said the new law, called the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area Transit Implementation Act, would provide more integrated transit service around the region. Municipal transit systems like the TTC will not be included.
Insiders said the new board structure will limit "turf wars" between politicians protecting their local interests and hampering better links between municipal transit systems.
Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion, who is among the ousted board members, said the board didn't have enough authority.
"You need an independent board to make the decisions that have to be made for the good of the people," she said. "That's who we're here to serve. They'll have a board with power that can get the job done."
At a Feb. 17 Toronto Star editorial board meeting, Miller had warned "it would be really unwise strategically" to remove politicians from the Metrolinx board.
"We understand the connections between transportation and planning and the provincial government and environmental objectives. It's a unique skill set that nobody from the private sector could have," Miller said.
Miller issued a statement yesterday praising the progress of Metrolinx under its old board and promising to protect Toronto's Transit City plan to stretch light-rail lines into the suburbs.
"I will fight to ensure that public transit remains public and that the governance of it is open, transparent and accountable," he said.
With no local politicians on the new board, the directors are accountable to the minister of transportation and through him to the Legislature, provincial officials said.
The board could not, for example, raise its members' own wages because those are controlled for all provincial agencies, boards and commissions by the government's management board. Any hikes in GO fares would be set as they are now – by the board in consultation with the province, which means they are essentially approved by the minister before being announced.
Rumours of differences within the Metrolinx board and between the politicians and Metrolinx staff have persisted almost since its first meeting, in March 2007. Reports that leaked out of the agency suggested it was looking for more authority over municipal transit systems, including the TTC.
As recently as January, Metrolinx hastily withdrew a report from its website that blamed the TTC for stalling on the province's plan to implement the Presto smart fare card across nine regional transit systems. A new version of that report was expected to be brought before the April board meeting.
Toronto was also criticized by some for putting too many conditions in front of a plan to extend the Yonge subway into York Region.
Bradley said municipal politicians will continue to discuss transit issues with the Metrolinx board and the ministry. While he said the public will have input, the new board's meetings will be closed when budgets and the five-year "rolling" capital plan for new projects are being discussed, to encourage "full and frank discussion" of issues.
Prichard said he will be paid $215,000 a year to help get the two agencies integrated and hire a new chief executive officer for Metrolinx – a job he is not interested in himself.
"My job is to be the transition adviser," said the former University of Toronto president, noting it will probably take three months to a year to accomplish, and his pay will be pro-rated.
"I'm not a transit expert. Hopefully I know something about public and private management and can do that task and be the transition adviser and catalyst. Get it done. Faster is better than slower, from my perspective."
Prichard said he does not take GO Transit because he lives downtown above a TTC station, and while he does not ride the subway to work every day, he does take it "lots."
GO's managing director and CEO, Gary McNeil, will stay on as head, said Peter Smith, the departing GO chair, who remains as vice-chair of Metrolinx.
The new organization will "speed up" the $11.5 billion worth of MoveOntario 2020 projects announced by Premier Dalton McGuinty in June 2007, said Smith.
Source
TonyV
Senior Member
I am heartened by this news. Read more in this morning's Globe and Mail.
( I have to hurry on to work, I will let someone else provide the link to the article -- sorry folks ).
Merely want to say that Miller had this coming. I started out as a Miller supporter but he is beginning to look like a stupid person from where I'm sitting -- and this has been an extremely difficult turn for me to take.
One begins to suspect that Miller's prime priority is making work for people who like to sit on environmental assessment boards ....
We need something done now, and Miller's not the one to start things.
( I have to hurry on to work, I will let someone else provide the link to the article -- sorry folks ).
Merely want to say that Miller had this coming. I started out as a Miller supporter but he is beginning to look like a stupid person from where I'm sitting -- and this has been an extremely difficult turn for me to take.
One begins to suspect that Miller's prime priority is making work for people who like to sit on environmental assessment boards ....
We need something done now, and Miller's not the one to start things.
Ansem
Banned
I gotta say this is good news.
An independant board is the best thing that could happen. They will base their transit decision on population need instead of self political interest.
1-They realise that Sheppard LRT is garbage and complete it as a subway
2-DRL
3-I know that Metrolinx had some reserves about Eglington using LRT
4-Good news for York.
5-GTA Smartcard like OPUS card in Montreal
An independant board is the best thing that could happen. They will base their transit decision on population need instead of self political interest.
1-They realise that Sheppard LRT is garbage and complete it as a subway
2-DRL
3-I know that Metrolinx had some reserves about Eglington using LRT
4-Good news for York.
5-GTA Smartcard like OPUS card in Montreal
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kEiThZ
Superstar
Let's not get ahead of ourselves. I am willing to bet that there are no changes coming to Transit City. Keep in mind that Metrolinx is still responsible for the whole GTAH not just the 416. If Toronto is fine with LRT for the rest of Sheppard East and with LRT for Eglinton, I doubt Metrolinx would over-rule them. Switching over from ART MkII to LRT was one thing, but it's a whole different ball game to go a whole order of magnitude higher on transit performance.
Mike in TO
Senior Member
The RTP is unlikely to undergo serious changes. The objective now is to get shovels in the ground quickly on some key routes such as the Sheppard LRT - they aren't going to start back at square one on that route as they are basically ready to go.
DavidH
Senior Member
I'm not a conspiracy theorist - but if I were, I'd wonder if the clause that allows the Minister to order changes to the RTP might be intended to let the government change some of those LRT lines into ART or subway.
kEiThZ
Superstar
Yet that would seriously delay putting shovels in the ground at this stage and the political interference would be duly noted by our local municipalities. Does anyone think that if the province imposed a subway on Sheppard that Miller et al. would not make a stink of it. After all it is the TTC paying the bills for the line. They would not be wrong in speaking out if they thought it was a bad decision.
DavidH
Senior Member
Oh, agreed. Those are some of the reasons why I'm not a conspiracy theorist.
TTC is NOT paying the bills, though. Metrolinx's investment strategy, such as it is, states that they will burn through the provincial cash commitment to fund the first projects and then figure out what they will do from there. The City is not being asked to pay anything. That's one reason why these lines will be provincially owned.
rbt
Senior Member
Oh, agreed. Those are some of the reasons why I'm not a conspiracy theorist.
TTC is NOT paying the bills, though. Metrolinx's investment strategy, such as it is, states that they will burn through the provincial cash commitment to fund the first projects and then figure out what they will do from there. The City is not being asked to pay anything. That's one reason why these lines will be provincially owned.
Metrolinx isn't going to be paying for operations any time soon. Even the Spadina extension operations are being covered out of TTC and YRT operating funds.
Extending Sheppard to Scarborough City Centre would increase operations requirements by a good 50Million per year until ridership increases significantly. Estimates for additional subsidy when Sheppard opened were about 20 Million though no official number was released.
Transit city should have the nice side effect of reducing operations expenses in addition to increasing capacity.
DavidH
Senior Member
True enough; I was referring solely to capital costs. But I suspect that if a subway extension were to get pushed by the province instead of an LRT line, negotations would produce some sort of assistance on operating costs to help reach the point where the line were self-sufficient.
Not that I think any of this will happen. I just find the presence of those clauses in the legislation very interesting.