politics
Duly Quoted: Gordon Chong
“You will never, ever be able to get away from either government-direct funding or government backstop—ever.”
—Gordon Chong, brought on by Mayor Rob Ford to help chart a development path for the Sheppard subway line. Ford has been arguing that the subway will be built with private money rather than requiring substantial government funds, however yesterday Chong told the Globe that the private sector would be able to pay for, at best, 30 per cent of the cost of constructing the line. Chong’s remarks followed shortly after TTC Chair Karen Stintz (Ward 16, Eglinton-Lawrence) gave a speech to the Board of Trade over lunch; during that speech Stintz argued that the TTC should get out of transit planning entirely and focus on “operational excellence,” leaving the funding, design, and development of future lines to the provincial Metrolinx board.