TORONTO, Ont. – TTC officials released details on a bold proposal to expand transit to “every corner of the City of Toronto” Wednesday, saying it would once again make Toronto a world leader in public transit.

The new $30-billion plan, called the ‘OneCity Transit Plan,’ would potentially be funded through a new uplift model, that features the equivalent of a property-tax hike of approximately 1.9 per cent for four years.

The plan, which would take approximately 30 years, includes the extension or building of six subway and train lines, ten LRT lines and five bus and streetcar lines, totaling approximately 170km of new transit.

“We call our plan ‘OneCity’ because this plan unites all parts of our City through transit,” said TTC Chair Karen Stintz. “This plan will benefit every single resident of Toronto, whether they take transit or drive. We will build the right transit to suit the right demand at the right price, whether LRTs, streetcars or subways, and help make Toronto a leader in public transit once again.”

An entire list of planned upgrades and additions can be found here.

The funding and property-tax hike would come through what is being called CVA Uplift. The uplift model will allow the city to keep a portion of the increased property value of Toronto homes. Estimates from the city indicate this would be the equivalent of a 1.9 per cent property-tax hike, valued at approximately $180 a year for the average home.

“I think we all now recognize that we can’t build a subway without money. My residents have told me that they are willing to pay for a subway and that is what we will do,” stated Vice Chair Glenn De Baeremaeker.

“The first project of our transit plan is to build a subway through Scarborough. As we speak, engineers are preparing to replace the Scarborough RT with an LRT. We must act quickly to replace the RT with a subway instead.”

Speaking about the plan, Toronto Mayor Rob Ford said he was left out of the loop and stressed that he would not support the ‘OneCity’ movement. Several of his allies supported this position, saying if Stintz was serious about the plan she would have worked more closely with Ford.

Others have speculated that the transit plan is the first move in a push by Stintz to run for mayor, speculation that Stintz would not comment on.

“We have a mayor,” Stintz laughed when asked about her plans by reporters.

The second project includes plans to build a streetcar line on Waterfront East, while the other 20 projects will be prioritized by TTC staff.

Some of these include:

  • Building a Don Mills Express line from Queen Station to Eglinton to alleviate the current pressures on the Yonge/Bloor subway line
  • Upgrading the Bloor-Yonge subway station
  • Extending the Yonge subway to Steeles
  • Extending the Sheppard East LRT line to Malvern
  • Extending the Eglinton Crosstown LRT line to Pearson Airport


The plan is designed to create jobs and allow people to travel around the city and to-and-from work.

You can find details on the plan for East Toronto/Scarborough here.

You can find details on the plan for West Toronto/North York, Etobicoke and York here.

You can find details on the plan for North Toronto/North York here.

You can find details on the plan for South Toronto/Downtown/Central Toronto here.

The plan will be debated in City Hall throughout July, with a final vote likely to happen sometime in August.