Wynne Liberals fail transit users, play politics with regional express rail

Toronto-Danforth NDP MPP Peter Tabuns says the Wynne Liberals are playing political games with regional transit, using Ontario’s $21.3-billion GO expansion program to bolster their election efforts.

“Yesterday we received further confirmation that Ontario’s $21.3-billion GO expansion program has been reduced to little more than a Liberal re-election scheme,” said Tabuns during question period on Tuesday.

“We already had evidence that the former Minister of Transportation intervened after Metrolinx rejected a proposed new station in his riding. Yesterday, we found out that another rejected station – this time in the riding of the Minister of Housing – is suddenly back on the table.”

In June 2016, then Transportation Minister Stephen Del Duca evidently pressured Metrolinx to approve new GO stations in his riding of Vaughan and other target Liberal ridings. It’s now been revealed that the former transportation minister sought the approval of Go stations at Kirby, Lawrence East, Park Lawn and the Highway 7 Concord despite studies recommending against their construction.

Tabuns said the Wynne Liberals are doing even more damage by relying on risky private partnerships, allowing investors to line their pockets with billions of public dollars, adding private profits onto transit costs.

“The estimated costs of new GO stations have skyrocketed, coincident with the decision to procure RER via public/private partnerships,” said Tabuns. “Not only is the Premier using Metrolinx to help re-elect her ministers; she’s also offering up billions in public dollars to private investors, while delivering less service to riders.”

Toronto-area transit has been in a state of chaos since Kathleen Wynne, as Minister of Transportation, agreed to rip up Transit City and The Big Move, and as Premier has allowed her ministers to rewrite evidence-based transit plans to suit their own political needs.

“How can the Premier expect the public to trust the government to invest transit dollars wisely, when she keeps putting her political ambitions ahead of the public interest?” asked Tabuns.

“Why is the Premier putting regional express rail at risk, just to serve the short-term political interests of the Liberal Party?”