Despite serious reservations, city council approves landmark transit deal with province
(The Star Toronto Raptors)

City council has approved a landmark transit deal with the provincial government despite members’ reservations about the uncertainties that still surround Ontario’s transit plans. The deal, which council endorsed after more than three hours of debate Tuesday, solidifies Queen’s Park’s control over the future of Toronto transit expansion while avoiding the provincial takeover of the existing subway network that municipal officials and most councillors were desperate to avoid. While the deal passed easily in a 22-to-3 decision, many councillors who voted for it expressed grave concerns about what they were committing to. “To characterize this proposal as an actual plan to build transit would be overly generous,� said Councillor Mike Layton (Ward 11, University-Rosedale) of the province’s plan.As part of the agreement, the city will give the federal government the green light to reallocate some $3.8 billion in funding that had been earmarked for council-approved projects to provincial lines instead. That effectively kills off the city’s advanced plans for a relief line subway and one-stop Scarborough subway extension and replaces them with the province’s Ontario Line and a three-stop Scarborough extension. Ontario’s Progressive Conservative government had already passed legislation enabling it to take over new expansion projects in the city, but the province still requires the federal funding to advance its plans.Staff told council the Ontario Line — the 15.5-kilometre project that would connect the Ontario Science Centre to Exhibition GO station and is the centrepiece of the province’s plan — is at about zero to 10 per cent design phase. At that stage, key details, including its precise route, station locations and projected $11-billion price tag are all subject to change.The TTC’s chief expansion officer Gary Downie revealed to council Tuesday the city had asked the province for a ...