politics
Duly Quoted: Provincial Transportation Minister’s Press Secretary, on Operational Funding for the TTC
Province squelches suggestion it might be willing to share TTC's operational funding burden.
“Today’s Globe & Mail report is incorrect. Our government has and will continue to make capital investments to improve Toronto’s transit infrastructure, including investing $416 million in renewal of Toronto’s streetcar fleet, $870 million for the Toronto-York Spadina Subway extension, $5.3 billion for the Eglinton Crosstown project, and $1.4 billion for the Bloor-Danforth subway extension to Scarborough.”
—Patrick Searle, press secretary to the provincial transportation minister, responding to a Globe and Mail story that suggests the provincial government might be considering chipping in for some of the TTC’s operating costs. Ontario Transportation Minister Steven Del Duca himself denied the report at a press conference this morning. Insiders told the paper that the province and City have not officially discussed the matter, but other sources suggested the province was not unwilling to entertain the idea. TTC CEO Andy Byford indicated that he and his staff spoke with senior provincial bureaucrats about the possibility two months ago, and that the meeting left him feeling “positively optimistic,” adding, “We weren’t sent away with a no. I would say it was a very positive meeting.” It remains to be seen whether Searle’s statement constitutes sending the TTC away with a definite “no.”
The province assists the TTC with capital funding but, since Mike Harris’ tenure as premier, has not contributed support for the operational budget, which is funded through fares and the property tax base.