Transit, foreign investment top ‘motivated’ Tory’s to-do list after UK trip

TORONTO – Mayor John Tory is back in Toronto with an ambitious to-do list including transit and investment after his business mission to London, England.

“I was motivated and energized before, but now I’m even more motivated and more energized,” Tory said.

Tory says he plans to meet with council to establish a priority list of “next projects for Toronto.”

“If you look right now there is not an official place where everybody has agreed on what the next projects are to follow the Scarborough subway and SmartTrack,” Tory said.

“I think we need clarity and focus on what the next projects are going to be because we shouldn’t be waiting to get started on planning and getting the money and all those things.”

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Tory visited visit London’s Crossrail project, which served as inspiration for his SmartTrack plan.

He said London Mayor Boris Johnson’s own transit ambitions have refuelled his desire to get Toronto moving.

“I come from London with a determination to build SmartTrack reinvigorated. The use of existing rail corridors to connect people to opportunity and increase capacity on existing transit is embraced over there and I intend to see that it is here, as well.”

Tory also made mention of London’s “can-do” attitude and praised the city’s ambition for accomplishing large scale projects.

“My impression of London is that it has a much more obvious ‘get –things-done’ mentality,” said Tory.

“They say ‘yes’ to ambitious projects and find was to accomplish them.”

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Tory added that the City of Toronto often finds reasons to say no to need projects.

He also aimed to entice investors to Ontario’s capital.

“If we want the United Kingdom to remain one of our biggest sources of investment… we are going to have to sell ourselves,” Tory said.

“Our city is competing globally for investment and so we will need to play a role – all of us – in telling our story. That’s part of the reason why these trips have to take place, not just to the UK, but to other countries, as well… that means having people from, Toronto officials – including political officials, public servants, business leaders, academics and members of our cultural community out there selling this city.”

Part of that sales pitch included letting overseas leaders know “Toronto is under new leadership,” he said.

READ MORE: Tory hopes to repair Toronto’s ‘tarnished’ reputation with London trip

Tory said while on his trip, he was asked on numerous occasions, how Toronto was recovering from the scandal that came out of the Rob Ford administration.

“When the media and all the discussion and all the chatter at cocktail parties and business receptions was taken up with discussing the antics of our mayor, they were not discussing the talent pool that exists here. They were not discussing the investment opportunities that exist in Toronto.”