Preville on Politics
Transit's Gaping Maw
Posted on October 30, 2007 by Philip Preville
You know how Queen’s Parkies like to observe that health care costs eat up more and more of its budget, to the point where they may become nothing more than a group-insurance administrator? The same thing is happening in Toronto, in this case with the TTC. City Hall is no longer a city hall; it’s the most beautiful and elaborate transit agency headquarters ever.
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Philip Preville
Veteran freelance writer Philip Preville lived much of his life in Montreal and Edmonton before he was lured, like so many Torontonians before him, by the promise of more work and a better living. A National Magazine Award winner and former Canadian Journalism Fellow at the University of Toronto’s Massey College, Preville writes Toronto Life’s politics column. He lives with his wife and one-year-old son in Riverdale, just close enough to the Don Valley Parkway that he can hear it when he steps outside his house—but just far enough away that it doesn’t keep him awake at night. On his office wall hangs a 1938–39 press pass belonging to his grandfather, Elias Gannon, who wrote for the Montreal Star.
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Comments
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DR October 30, 2007 at 11:27 a.m.
The Toronto police are eating the city's budget, only the silly union contracts are keeping it from 30% of the budget
What were TTC capital expenses when the province isn't footing the bill?
Mark Dowling October 30, 2007 at 2:47 p.m.
Part of the problem on the capital side is a consequences of peaks and valleys in equipment replacement. We are currently seeing 30 year old streetcars, 25 year old buses (still have almost 300 of those) and 33 year old subway cars being replaced all at once, because of the policy of previous regimes to defer acquisitions and refurbishments.
In fairness to Miller, (weird sensation from saying that) he was handed a TTC full of either already refurbished museum pieces or equipment entirely unsuitable for the elderly and those with disabilities - failure to replace the latter meaning the continued growth of the $20 cost - $2 revenue per ride WheelTrans. About 1,000 replacement diesel and hybrid buses have arrived at TTC since 2002 and there are 400 more hybrids due by end 2008, about $800 million in capital. Some of that will be covered by higher government, especially the hybrids.
It is interesting that TTC supervisors rate Dodge Chargers rather than Priuses or Allison built Civic Hybrids eh? But then Toyota and Honda aren't union friendly as Chrysler-Dodge.
It was disturbing to see Pennechetti answer Holyday's question about Plan B (in the event of insufficient funding) with "there is no Plan B - we'd have to cut". Well that's bad on two levels.
Firstly, many capital projects come with penalty clauses for failure to proceed - ask Ottawa who are being sued by Siemens for their cancellation of the LRT contract. Accordingly, contracts not covered by this would be disproportionately cut.
Secondly, as the recent community centre and library non-cuts showed, Toronto City Staff aren't good at making cuts at short notice.
Rob November 1, 2007 at 11:03 a.m.
Yeah, while I was biking to work today I saw a TTC Dodge Charger car. Seemed weird that the TTC would use such a fuel inefficient, 'luxury' car.
Charles November 2, 2007 at 8:55 p.m.
Disturbed there's no plan B? What, exactly, would be palatable in terms of a Plan B? Increased taxes? That's got to be a non-starter at this point.
I do not begrudge city workers their salaries and would not want to have to face disgruntled, subpar employees. Before moving here, I spent most of my life in the US, where they don't pay people adequately, and the difference in the quality of service is simply astounding. I challenge anybody who wants the city run "more like a business" to spend a month living in a US city with the reduced quality and quantity of services that entails, and see if you still feel the same way.
BBA November 9, 2007 at 12:18 a.m.
When the wealth of Torontonians is dried up by increasingly added taxes and fees, we will see the reduced quality of life, if not reduced quantity of services that entails in our city, and the Americans would laugh at us then. NDP David Miller is repeating the NDP Bob Rae recipe for Ontario. We will see nightmares come true for Toronto.
Matt November 11, 2007 at 3:59 p.m.
BBA > you gotta be kidding? If you look at the numbers, Miller has cut more from city hall than any NDPer would like to admit. Something like 55% of city work is already contracted out. The cost of running the city has gone up, but most of that came from contracts not negotiated by Miller but by Lastman.
But most, if not all, of the blame for city hall's finances come directly from decisions made at Queens Park. Again and again it has to be cited: the funding model for municipalities in Ontario is the only one of its kind in North America. It hurts cities is the worst way yet people want to continue to place all the blame on Miller and lazy union workers. It is so much more complex than blaming one person and their ideology.
I don't wish any harm on our neighbours, but I'm glad Mississauga is experiencing some taxation pain -- i think the other GTA burbs will take greater notice and realize that our entire quality of life is at stake.