TORONTO – In a short press conference Tuesday, Mayor Rob Ford called for the province to “find efficiencies” in order to fund expanded public transit.
“We proved it can be done here at city hall, the province can do the exact same thing,” he said.
On Monday, Metrolinx – the province’s public transit authority – made its recommendations to the province on possible taxes, tolls or levies it could use to fund The Big Move.
The Big Move is Ontario’s multi-decade, $50-billion plan to fund expanded public transit.
Some of the suggested revenue tools include a five-cents-a-litre regional gas tax, a one percentage point increase in the sales tax, paying for parking at Metrolinx stations and high-occupancy toll lanes.
“What I do not support is the province’s plan to slap new taxes on the back of hardworking families in this great province,” the mayor said. “Toronto council took a firm position last month: they stood beside me and said no to these new taxes. Yet, the province is moving ahead without consulting with the public.”
The suggested revenue tools are estimated to cost the average family between $500 and $1000 annually.
The mayor’s brother slammed the province and Metrolinx earlier on Tuesday, suggesting the province fund the project by shaving $2 billion a year from its budget.
“Can they not find 2 per cent in efficiencies down at the province?” Councillor Doug Ford asked. “If they can’t, they shouldn’t govern.”
The mayor has yet to publicly speak about the revenue tools since the recommendations were made but at a press conference in April he showed his displeasure by pretending to vomit.
At the time, he suggested a casino could be used to build subways.
“You want to pay for transit? I’ve got a good idea—it’s a called a casino,” Ford said. “You get a lot of money to pay for a good amount of the transit and you get the private sector involved.”
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