We’ve gathered some resources for those interested in revenue tools potentially under consideration for the GTHA and future transit funding – send your additions to info@coderedTO.com!

• From the Toronto Board of Trade, The Move Ahead: Funding “The Big Move” (PDF, May 2010)
• From the Mowat Centre, Putting Canada on Track: A Blueprint for a National Transit Framework (PDF, October 2011)
• From the Pembina Institute, Driver’s Choice (April 2012)
• Victoria BC’s LRT project Local Funding Options Technical Report (August 2012)
• From the Residential and Civil Construction Alliance of Ontario, Constructing Ontario’s Future (PDF, January 2013)
• City of Toronto public consultations, Feeling Congested
• Metrolinx public consultations, Join the Big Conversation
• Los Angeles County’s “Measure R” sales tax to fund transit expansion

On June 6th, a representative of CodeRedTO spoke to the Standing Committee on General Government at the Ontario Legislative Building (commonly referred to as Queen’s Park). The committee is studying congestion and gridlock, and also heard presentations from Metrolinx, the TTC, several cities and regions including Toronto and Ottawa, TTCriders, and others. (Click to view the June 4 and June 6 agendas; the full transcript or recording will eventually appear on the committee website here)

We were given 10 minutes to speak, and 5 minutes for questions. On such a deep and often technical topic, this was a very slim timeframe to work with. The decision was made to focus on some simple history and facts, one big idea, and several appendices to include other information that the MPPs may be interested in reading later. (Click to download the full presentation, 2 MB PDF)

The “one big idea” chosen was the idea of a transportation-specific tax, possibly connected to a referendum, using Los Angeles County’s “Measure R” as a template. A 1% increase in the Ontario HST province-wide, dedicated to transit, road, and bike infrastructure, would net about $1.5B per year and should be designed to bring funding back into every community in a consistent and non-partisan way.

Our presentation began with a mention of specific transportation issues in committee members’ ridings, which drew nods from all parties as they clearly understood the funding problems their constituents often face. During the question segment, a representative from each of the PCs, the Liberals, and the NDP expressed their thanks for the engaging and clear presentation. They then asked questions based on either genuine interest or political hobby-horses, depending on one’s preferred party.

Some of the questions that were asked (and which many other presenters were also asked) included:

• What do you think about LRT vs subway? (PC)
• Our response: Toronto is one of the only cities on the planet that uses only buses and subways. [Not said: Streetcars in this question function as buses, in that they are slow and low-capacity compared to the modes in question.] Every other advanced transit system uses a mixture of modes for different situations. We advocate for the right technology in the right place at the right time, and we want better rapid transit options for more residents, sooner. Sometimes that means LRT, sometimes it means subways, sometimes it means neither.
• Did you ask anyone outside Toronto about this tax idea? (Liberal)
• Our response: no, this is not meant as a formal proposal and though we have heard strong messages of support from outside Toronto and Ottawa, this has not been formally measured.
• What do you think about TTC vs Metrolinx construction of LRT lines, that is AFP/P3 vs more TTC control? (NDP)
• That is very far outside our areas of expertise, and while we want more rapid transit sooner, and AFP approaches have worked well in Europe but perhaps less well in North America, we have no opinion on this as we don’t have the expertise.
• Were any other revenue methods considered? (Liberal)
• Yes, in that we think there are many methods to gather revenue that should all be explored and used, rather than sticking to just one revenue generator.

CodeRedTO was happy to be able to present, and we mentioned in our presentation and reiterate here that we receive no funding or talking points from any political party, group, or elected individuals. We are happy to bring presentations of varying lengths about light rail, about transit expansion, about the pros and cons of various technologies and designs, to any public meeting should an MPP (or anyone!) like to invite us.

A friend of #CodeRedTO, @HiMYSYeD, kindle recorded much of our transit information session on May 3rd at the Agincourt Library near Sheppard and Kennedy. Not everything was captured so be sure to join us at a future event!

Part 1: Introductions, rules for fairness (0-6 mins), How Did We Get Here (6-16 mins) (Total: 16:56)

Part 2: Presentation on Light Rail for Sheppard and around the world, from TTC’s David Nagler (Total: 24:02)

Part 3: Vehicle comparison, Roadway comparison, Left Turns, Vehicle Speeds, Overall Travel Time
(no video – slides downloadable in a previous post)

Part 4: Real Travel Time Example, plus Costs Comparison (Total: 5:12)

Part 5: What is being built, when, and common concerns
(no video- slides downloadable in a previous post)

CodeRedTO was invited to attend a recent town hall meeting hosted by Scarborough Member of Parliament Dan Harris regarding the push for a National Public Transit Strategy. Presenters included Harris, fellow MP Olivia Chow, Toronto Councillor Janet Davis, and Joe Drew and Cameron MacLeod of CodeRedTO.

As the event was related to public transit and being held in Toronto, we were invited to provide the facts about Toronto’s current transit expansion (including costs and funding), and to discuss the history of transit expansion in the city. Councillor Davis presented on the history of the TTC and the history of transit funding in Ontario.

Click to see our short presentation from that meeting, and if you are interested in learning more about the National Public Transit Strategy, you can visit them on Facebook or on Twitter.

On the evening of May 3rd, CodeRedTO hosted a very successful public information session about light rail expansion in Scarborough, at the Agincourt Library. There were  over 40 attendees and an hour of questions, and despite strong opinions everyone was civil and friendly, and always willing to listen to others’ opinions and concerns. So first and foremost, thank you Scarborough for being such great people!

The TTC’s Community Relations Team Lead, David Nagler, gave a great presentation about the facts on LRT and what is planned for Sheppard East, such as stop spacing and roadway design as it currently stands. He also gave us permission to post his presentation here for those who would like to review.

Click the image at right to download the 2MB PDF version of his presentation.

The presentation from CodeRedTO included both facts confirmed by the TTC and our own opinions, all the while stressing that residents should learn the facts and make up their own minds. Our presentation featured:

• How did we get here?
• How do we fix it?
• A Comparison of the TTC Fleet in 2012, 2016, and 2020
• A real door-to-door travel time example for a real address in Scarborough
• Detailed new maps
• Responses to some of the most commonly-expressed concerns about light rail
• …and more!

Click the image at right to download the CodeRedTO presentation in PDF format.