Transit advocates call for commercial parking levy to help TTC

Transit advocacy group TTCRiders and the Toronto Environmental Alliance (TEA) are calling on the city of Toronto to pursue another source of revenue.

The city pledged a $53-million subsidy increase for the public transit agency. A 10-cent fare increase is also contained in the TTC’s 2023 budget, which will raise the current cost of a trip from $3.25 to $3.35 for many transit users.

Public transit has faced an uphill battle trying to revive its ridership to pre-pandemic levels.

“As a student, 10 cents doesn’t seem like a lot, but over the semester, it kind of adds up,” said Kevon Jules, a student who relies on public transit.

Jules isn’t the only commuter feeling less than enthusiastic about the change.

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On Monday morning, TTCRiders and TEA called on the Toronto Transit Commission to implement a commercial parking levy, saying if it had been put in place earlier, it would have led to additional revenue of close to $3 billion.

“It’s a small surcharge on commercial parking lots, not residential lots,” Sarah Buchanan told reporters. “This isn’t going to be driveways. This isn’t going to be permanent parking on the street.”

Ward 13 city councillor Chris Moise wants to see a formal report carried out on the levy. Moise, who represents the Toronto Centre riding, is calling for a comprehensive breakdown of how funds from the levy could be used to help manage the city’s bottom line.

“We can’t always depend on the provincial government to bail us out every budget year,” he said “We need sustainable, reliable funding.”

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Findings contained in a 2016 report suggest a levy could net the city anywhere from $171 million to $535 million annually. Meantime, an updated assessment from 2021 pegged the potential revenue at between $191 million and $575 million annually, adding that it would take an estimated 18 months to implement.

Mayor John Tory was asked about the concept of a parking levy being implemented. He said it was a complicated issue he wasn’t in favour of.

However, the city told Global News in an email that the budget committee has requested briefing notes on parking levies, which should be available for the budget committee wrap-up meeting on Jan. 24.

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Some of the topics that will be addressed include potential revenue estimates, as well as establishing whether the city has the legal authority to impose levies on parking in the city’s downtown core during weekdays and peak commuting hours.

A statement from Tory’s spokesperson says that he supports the committee’s recent requests for a briefing note.

“Since being elected in 2014, the Mayor and Council have asked for two reports on the possible implementation of a commercial parking levy,” it reads. “While some challenges were raised the previous two times this was studied by staff, the Mayor supports looking at any reasonable new revenue tools for the City of Toronto.”

The statement adds that when the levy was initially considered, the idea of applying it to all parking spaces in the city raised concerns about the effect it would have on churches and small businesses, among other issues.