Ontario/Toronto 17.5 Billion for new lines!

puncbuggy · #1 Posted **Jun 15, 2007, 6:27 PM**

This just in.
http://www.premier.gov.on.ca/news/Pr...ProductID=1383
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servl.../National/home

-Highlights Light rail in Hamilton
-Money for Toronto's plan for 9 new rail lines to supplement the subway lines http://www.transitcity.ca/
Check out the maps and related at the bottom.

For real or for the coming Fall election?

Usually the funding for these projects in Ontario is 1/3 Canada, 1/3 Ontario, 1/3 Cities. so 2/3 province is a big change.

SteelTown · #2 Posted **Jun 15, 2007, 6:46 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by puncbuggy

-Highlights Light rail in Hamilton

Not just a light rail for Hamilton but TWO new light rail lines for Hamilton.

LordMandeep · #3 Posted **Jun 15, 2007, 7:10 PM**

i am quite surprised they will fund the Toronto transit project.

You see asking for money doesn't hurt. Sometimes you get it.. If you don't ask you will have no chance at all.

miketoronto · #4 Posted **Jun 15, 2007, 7:18 PM**

Don't get to excited yet. If the federal gov and local governments do not agree to funding part of it, then the whole plan falls apart. So I would not get my hopes up

Chicago103 · #5 Posted **Jun 15, 2007, 7:28 PM**

Illinois is slightly larger than Ontario in population and yet we would be lucky to get $1 billion for new lines.

DrJoe · #6 Posted **Jun 15, 2007, 7:37 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by miketoronto

Don't get to excited yet. If the federal gov and local governments do not agree to funding part of it, then the whole plan falls apart. So I would not get my hopes up

The province has stated that they will procede with their $11 billion portion regardless of what the feds do. Either way its a signifcant investment.

puncbuggy · #7 Posted **Jun 15, 2007, 7:39 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chicago103

Illinois is slightly larger than Ontario in population and yet we would be lucky to get $1 billion for new lines.

Well we've had quite the talk of transit in the past few years. We've had annoucements of expansions, new lines (if money were available), suburbs complaining too that they want lines, so i guess all the pieces fit since everyone wants to build. And since most of Ontario lies in this region too it just seemed logical for them to buy our votes before the next election.

Chicago103 · #8 Posted **Jun 15, 2007, 7:45 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by puncbuggy

Well we've had quite the talk of transit in the past few years. We've had annoucements of expansions, new lines (if money were available), suburbs complaining too that they want lines, so i guess all the pieces fit since everyone wants to build. And since most of Ontario lies in this region too it just seemed logical for them to buy our votes before the next election.

At least there are province wide politicians that are actually out vying for votes by supporting public transit as opposed to just praying to the parking god and blaming the big bad city for taking away everyone's tax money. In this country it seems the pro-transit constituency is a minority constituency anywhere outside of local governments of big cities.

puncbuggy · #9 Posted **Jun 15, 2007, 8:00 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chicago103

At least there are province wide politicians that are actually out vying for votes by supporting public transit as opposed to just praying to the parking god and blaming the big bad city for taking away everyone's tax money. In this country it seems the pro-transit constituency is a minority constituency anywhere outside of local governments of big cities.

Hmm, yeah every corner of Ontario wants to have transit. I guess were all just fed up with driving everywhere even though, personally, still love my car once in a while. Cities like Kitchener-Waterloo, 1 hr west, are BEGGING to have a link to Toronto. I doubt you would see that where you live.

J. Will · #10 Posted **Jun 15, 2007, 11:55 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chicago103

Illinois is slightly larger than Ontario in population and yet we would be lucky to get $1 billion for new lines.

Most cities would be thrilled to get $2 billion from the Province/State for new public transit lines. Hell, some place struggle to get $1 billion. To get over $10 billion from the Province is amazing. 120 km of new LRT, 8km subway extension (not counting the extension that was announed a year or two ago) is amazing.

I know of another city that is FINALLY getting a 14-mile LRT line after years of funding bickering, community fighting, public votes, etc., and they seem to be grateful for just that.

Andy6 · #11 Posted **Jun 16, 2007, 12:32 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by J. Will

Most cities would be thrilled to get $2 billion from the Province/State for new public transit lines. Hell, some place struggle to get $1 billion. To get over $10 billion from the Province is amazing. 120 km of new LRT, 8km subway extension (not counting the extension that was announed a year or two ago) is amazing.

I know of another city that is FINALLY getting a 14-mile LRT line after years of funding bickering, community fighting, public votes, etc., and they seem to be grateful for just that.

This is a pre-election announcement supposedly committing funds over 12 years, far beyond the life of this government. There have been many such announcements in the past and very little has ever come of them. It's designed mostly to shore up the government's softening support in the Toronto-Hamilton area.

DrJoe · #12 Posted **Jun 16, 2007, 1:08 AM**

^ Does it not say something though when political parties start buying votes with public transit? That in itself is significant.

LordMandeep · #13 Posted **Jun 16, 2007, 1:19 AM**

true DR.Joe
The Tories did that with highways in the 1990's and they actually built and expanded a lot f highways and then sold the 407 to Mexicans for 99 years for a bargain. Fiscally responsible conservative my foot. They just duped the province into the most crappiest deal ever.

Andy6 · #14 Posted **Jun 16, 2007, 1:36 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by DrJoe

^ Does it not say something though when political parties start buying votes with public transit? That in itself is significant.

Bob Rae did the same thing, as you can reflect the next time you're riding the Eglinton subway line or taking the Bloor line out to Square One (or wherever it was).

It's partly designed to put the federal government in the position of being the party-pooper in order to shore up McGuinty's attempt to make himself into the guy who's fighting the evil Harper on behalf of all of us Ontarians. And if they do agree, well then he's the guy who made federalism work.

SSLL · #15 Posted **Jun 16, 2007, 11:37 AM**

Great news. Not it's up to the feds to come up with their third of the cost.

Nunavuter · #16 Posted **Jun 16, 2007, 8:24 PM**

If the feds don't cough up dough, the province had better build 2/3 of the planned lines.

Otherwise, it'll be Network 2011 all over again. That plan was announced in 1985. Less than 1/4 of it was ever built, and even then was delayed.

I am cautiously optimistic this time, if only because business, cities and the general public are all on board. The suburban municipalities of Mississauga and Vaughan have really changed their tune as gridlock is chocking them too.

Their dreams of building dense downtown areas can't work without transit.

Things seem to be coming together at last.

MonkeyRonin · #17 Posted **Jun 16, 2007, 8:34 PM**

As long as we don't have any Conservatives getting in the way and messing things up again (unlikely to happen thank fuck), things should hopefully work out this time, as we have more people using transit, more people living here, more congestion, and more concern for the enivornment than ever before. Oh, and no more Mike.

ssiguy · #18 Posted **Jun 18, 2007, 9:01 PM**

Even if the Conservative {provincial } get in next time I very highly doubt they would abadone the project. Infact I could see them even improving on it. Its just to popular and especially surbanites love it. Remember Mike wzas in power when the enviornment was just a touchy-feally idea for the Socialists. Of cource those days are long gone and he can see the writing on the wall.C

cornholio · #19 Posted **Jun 19, 2007, 1:19 AM**

You guys get 1/3rd of you projects payed for by the feds?
Here in Vancouver they pay for almost nothing.
The Canada line was a exception which they payed I think 1/7th of, plus for that generous payment we have to call it the Canada line.
While the Gateway projects arent even close to 1/3rd funded by the feds, so far the 3+billion$ gateway project in Vancouver has only a couple hundred million of federal funding...and this is a project which is important for the rest of Canada.

This is one more reason why the west is alienated from the east. We pay the same towards the federal goverment yet almost nothing ever comes back to us.

On a more positive note though...great plan by the way.

edit: actualy the federal goverment funded just over 1/5th of the Canada line project.

Nunavuter · #20 Posted **Jun 19, 2007, 9:38 AM**

Cornholio, the 1/3 federal funding has not been arranged. There were no representatives of the federal government at the announcement. This is a pressure tactic on the part of the province.

Truth be told, even the province all but abandoned capital funding for transit in Toronto in the last decade, which explains why the TTC and GO Networks are virtually the same now as in 1987. Toronto has had six new subway stations open in the last 20 years.