Province´s push for private funding, additional stops puts Scarborough subway at risk of delays
(The Star Movies)

The Ontario government intends to rely on the private sector to help fill a more than $1-billion funding gap in its plan to build a three-stop Scarborough subway — a move that marks another twist for a controversial transit project and raises the possibility of construction delays that could leave Scarborough residents stuck taking the bus. Transportation Minister Jeff Yurek revealed last week the province intends to enlist the private sector to help offset the cost of the more expensive three-stop plan, by striking deals that would offer developers public land or air rights above station sites in exchange for helping fund the transit infrastructure. The plan currently on the city’s books is to extend Line 2 (Bloor-Danforth) to the Scarborough City Centre, which would cost an estimated $3.35 billion. Pending final approval, it’s projected to start construction next year with a completion date of 2026. Ontario’s Progressive Conservatives, who took power in June and have promised to table legislation to take ownership of the subway system from the city, wants to scrap the one-stop plan and build a three-stop version that would extend past the Scarborough Town Centre to Sheppard Ave. East, and have a stop at Lawrence Ave.An earlier estimate for the city of a three-stop extension that was based on very little design work pegged the cost at $4.6 billion. That estimate was contingent on construction approval being given by council in 2016.“The developer would pick up the cost of those stations ... and it will not be a cost to the taxpayer,� Yurek told the Globe and Mail.Read more: Opinion | Edward Keenan: Memo to Ontario Tories — there’s no such thing as a free subwayWhat does the future hold for the TTC? We ask councillors on board to weigh inCity to appoint ‘transit czar’ to oversee expansionThe market-driven approach to building Toronto transit projects has been floated before with little success. But in ...