Transit City’s not dead yet: David Miller

The Globe and Mail:

Transit City was declared dead by Mayor Ford long ago and Dalton McGuinty has since agreed to transfer the money earmarked for Transit City’s surface lines on Sheppard, Finch and Eglinton to pay for an underground route on Eglinton alone.

In a widely quoted radio interview in September, Mr. Miller said his plan for light-rail lines on Sheppard and Finch could be turned back on “like a switch” since all the preliminary work was complete. While viewed by many as a real long shot, such statements and the results of the provincial election have fuelled hopes for a rebirth of Transit City. A new online petition is circulating, asking for the transit issue to be put before city council.

“We are not reopening the debate,” says a spokeswoman for the Premier in an e-mail – a statement that appears to leave the matter in the hands of the city. After Mayor Ford’s election, the Premier was careful to steer clear of the divisions on council over transit planning, saying it was up to local government to decide what changes should be made. Reviving Transit City at this point would require the province to go against the wishes of the mayor, an unlikely scenario unless it had the support of council.

Mr. Miller doesn’t see it that way. Building a rapid transit system is one of the biggest issues facing Toronto, he argues, and Transit City a once-in-a-generation opportunity. He has begun to speak out publicly on the issue, saying it is too important for him – as a citizen who is well versed on the issue – to remain silent. That stance has been embraced by some opponents of the mayor, emboldened by the recent success in defeating the mayor and his brother’s bid to take control of planning for Toronto’s Port Lands.

“The question really now is the premier,” Mr. Miller insists. “It’s almost entirely provincial money, so they’ve got the biggest say.”

Continue reading here.