Karen Stintz’s ambitious transit plan is now one subway and one LRT

When announced, the far-reaching OneCity plan seemed full of moxie and momentum, but political realities have forced Karen Stintz to dial it back significantly. Rather than seek a staff study of the entire OneCity plan at this week’s council meeting, the TTC chair will only ask council to designate two priority transit projects (the subway extension to replace the Scarborough RT and a new waterfront east LRT). That leaves out any talk of the other 21 lines and—more importantly—the proposed property tax–based funding model, which had opponents from both sides of the political spectrum. On Metro Morning today, Stintz went on the defensive when host Matt Galloway questioned why she was “peeling back” the project to two lines for now, insisting the vision was “still there” and she’d planned on introducing tomorrow’s motion from the get-go. But delaying a commitment to a funding model until October at the earliest has stolen much of OneCity’s energy—and legitimacy. We’re inclined to agree with Galloway, who compared the downsized version of the plan to Rob Ford’s poorly received subway dreams: “transit ideas without a funding model—that’s a movie we’ve seen before.” [Toronto Star]