Transit City
On 1 December 2010, Rob Ford took office as the city's new mayor based on an election promise to expand the subway system, instead of implementing light rail lines.
While these projects were originally proposed under Transit City, they became part of Metrolinx's implementation of The Big Move regional transportation plan.
[27] In 2007, the service's existing ICTS (intermediate capacity transit system) fleet was approaching the end of its operational lifespan; as trains were no longer built to that line's specification, a replacement was needed.
A multi-year shutdown to modify the line's infrastructure would have been required regardless of whether light rail or an upgraded form of ICTS (Mark II Vehicles designed by Bombardier) was used.
[28] During his 2010 mayoralty campaign, Rob Ford denounced the idea of light rail transit and instead proposed replacing the Scarborough RT with an extension of Line 2 Bloor–Danforth.
[30] In June 2013, Toronto City Council decided to replace the Scarborough RT with an extension of Line 2 Bloor–Danforth north to Sheppard Avenue rather than light rail.
[31] In April 2019, Premier Doug Ford announced that the province would finance and build a three-stop extension of the Line 2 to replace the Scarborough RT.
[38] On 18 June 2009, Toronto mayor David Miller requested federal funding from the Harper government's $12-billion stimulus spending to purchase new streetcars as part of the Transit City plan.
Miller and Ontario premier Dalton McGuinty flew to Thunder Bay to announce their funding for the new streetcars, hoping to convince the Harper government to come up with its one-third share of the cost.
Miller had expressed discontent and condemned McGuinty, who had earlier promised to provide full funding for Transit City in order for it to be built before the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto.
[45] Standard economic metrics, however, show that as stimulus, Transit City would have added significantly to provincial tax revenues, and, given the province's 50-year amortization, the plan overall would have reduced Ontario's annual budget deficit.
[46] The funding deferral caused widespread debate, protests and criticism of Premier McGuinty by politicians and local groups.
As a result of the postponement, the Transit City plan was scaled down and expected completion dates were pushed farther back.
[48] Despite the controversy over the funding, Metrolinx negotiated a deal with Bombardier Transportation for a new fleet of light rail vehicles which were to be used on future Transit City lines.
[50] Had the project been implemented as originally proposed, Transit City had been expected to create approximately 200,000 new jobs in Ontario from $8.3 billion invested.
[54] According to the Federation of Canadian Municipalities research, Transit City was to have produced a first-year GDP gain of $17.3 billion, were all the money to be spent in the first year.
[51] Other indirect effects not measured were improved air quality and public health and reduced carbon emissions from extending rapid transit to 1.1 million more people.
Its indirect effects on congestion and transportation costs would have produced an additional $1.7 billion per year in tax revenue.
