The previous provincial government made some fairly hefty commitments to London, but now that the Progressive Conservatives are slated to form a majority government in Ontario, there are concerns some of those promises could be rolled back.
The funding for major projects like Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) and high-speed rail have been top of mind for some city politicians.
Premier-elect Doug Ford has said he wants to make things more affordable, and Coun. Jesse Helmer feels the affordability and reliability of the BRT plan will appeal to PCs at Queen’s Park.
Helmer is confident provincial funding for the project won’t be an issue.
“The reason I say that is we basically had all of the major parties — the NDP, the Conservatives, the Liberals and the Green party — all supporting the funding that we need,” he said.
“The $170 million — everybody is committed to the funding.”
The Wynne government had committed that money for transit in London as long as it went to the current approved BRT plan.
With Doug Ford at the helm, Coun. Phil Squire says that could change.
“If he says that it’s not tied to the current plan, in other words, that we would get the funding in any event — my position is that the new council elected next fall would be free to make changes to the plan that they saw fit,” he said.
The previous government committed $11 billion for high-speed rail between London and Toronto, but with PCs holding a large majority, Squire says that funding decision is up in the air.
“I don’t think Mr. Ford has yet made any specific indication of whether he would continue with the plans for high-speed rail. Given London is one of the stops on high-speed rail, his position on it is going to be very important,” said Squire.
There’s also the question of where the gas tax funds will go.
The Wynne government had promised to double the amount paid to municipalities, but Ford’s stance on that is unclear.
“That money is used for capital projects in transit. It was also suggested as part of the funding for Bus Rapid Transit operating costs and capital costs,” said Squire.
“If that increase doesn’t come through, I think it’s going to have some effect on our transit plans,” he said.
Now that London is home to three opposition party MPPs, communicating with the province is going to be interesting, said Squire, adding he doesn’t think transitioning from one party to another isn’t going to be as disastrous as some may think.
“It’s just a matter of developing new relationships.”
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