Toronto councillors pushing for a Scarborough subway extension are trying to get Toronto Mayor Rob Ford to back their plan – even if he won't support the new fees and taxes needed to fund it.
Scarborough councillors Michelle Berardinetti and Michael Thompson paid separate visits to the mayor's office Monday to pitch their plan to replace the aging Scarborough Rapid Transit line with an extension of the Bloor-Danforth subway instead of light rail.
Both said the mayor supports the subway, but not revenue tools. Mr. Ford left without talking to reporters.
"I didn't change his mind," said Mr. Thompson, who Monday dusted off the banner used in 2005 to fight for a Scarborough subway, posing for pictures behind it along with other Scarborough councillors.
Asked how he will get Mr. Ford's support for the subway if it hinges on the very revenue tools the mayor has said he will not support before "hell freezes over," Mr. Thompson conceded that is an issue. "Well, there's a conflict," he said.
Ms. Berardinetti spent Monday gathering signatures of support for her motion, which asks that the first $500-million allocated to Toronto from any new provincial revenue tools be earmarked for the subway extension. That money would be in addition to the $1.8-billion committed by the province to convert the Scarborough RT to light rail.
She argues the motion is written in such a way that Mr. Ford could support it and still oppose revenue tools.
At least one Scarborough councillor said he will not be backing the plan. Councillor Paul Ainslie said he wants to stick with the light-rail agreement signed with the provincial transit agency last year. "That ship has sailed," he said when asked about rewriting the deal.
Metrolinx responded to the plan with a written statement Monday. "We have a plan that is based on a legal agreement signed in November with the City of Toronto and TTC and we are acting on that plan," it said. "Our focus is on delivering the agreed upon plan and we are moving forward with LRT to replace the Scarborough RT. We are in procurement right now to build the project as well as the maintenance facility."
TTC chair Karen Stintz confirmed to The Globe and Mail last week that she has had a meeting with the provincial deputy minister of transportation on the Scarborough subway and is arranging one with the minister, though she was cautious about the willingness of the province to renegotiate the $8.4-billion light-rail agreement.
The subway proposal is likely to be introduced as part of the debate on transit funding expected at next week's council meeting. A majority of councillors say they want to debate the options in time to provide advice to Metrolinx for its report to the province at the end of May. They are expected to put it on council's agenda, after Mr. Ford's executive last week voted to delay the debate for a month.
Mr. Thompson, a member of the executive committee who was not present for last week's vote, said his support and that of other Scarborough councillors for fees and tolls relies on council backing the Scarborough subway extension.
"If council is not supportive of the subway expansion to replace the SRT, then clearly we won't be voting for revenue tools," he said.