City council votes overwhelmingly in favour of two major transit projects

After a lengthy debate that lasted much of the afternoon, city council has voted overwhelmingly in favour of moving forward with the planning and design work for big transit projects.

Council voted 42-1 to continue planning work for the downtown relief line as well as the Yonge subway line extension up to York Region.

Mayor John Tory says for once, the city is not speaking with the voice of little, timid Toronto.

“We’re a big, bold ambitious city that’s been recognized and admired around the world and we’ve got to have the transit system that goes with it.”

A motion by Councillor Josh Matlow to shelve the Yonge line extension failed. He says the downtown relief line should be the top priority to ease subway overcrowding.

“We have a problem. The current system is overcrowded. We have a pinch point at Yonge and Bloor that is factually overcrowded and we need to relieve that now.”

Tory instead applauded council’s decision to continue work on two major transit projects at the same time.

“This is not too bold for us. This is as bold as we should and must be to make up for lost time and to properly serve the people of Toronto.”

York Region’s mayor says they’ll help to pressure the province to fund the downtown relief line as long as Toronto moves ahead with the Yonge line extension north at the same time.

Also from City Hall, Councillor John Campbell says he wants to suspend the city’s $260,000 grant for the Pride parade.

Campbell says Pride doesn’t deserve the cash as long as it places restrictions on the participation of Toronto police officers.

“Police officers are welcome so long as they’re not in uniform but really that’s also denying the identity of these police officers who have come forward and they’re either gay or lesbian and they’re also police officers and now they’re being asked to deny their identity ostensibly.”

Following pressure from the group Black Lives Matter, Pride said officers could march in the parade so long as they did not wear their uniform, carry their gun or use their vehicles.

Councillor Giorgio Mammolitti wants to take Campbell’s motion one step further and has called for ending grants for all parades.