A Centennial Transit Referendum

by Sarah Thomson

The first time Toronto rejected a subway proposal was through a plebiscite in 1912.  It wasn’t until a referendum was called in 1946 that Toronto finally voted for subway construction for a Queen and Yonge line. Unfortunately, the promised federal funding fell through and the Queen line was never completed.

That first referendum 100 years ago planted the idea of an underground subway system in Toronto, but the idea took 34 years to blossom. With gridlock costing Canada approximately 6 billion dollars per year, Toronto is now in a transit crisis. Time has run out and we must call a referendum to decide how to fund the transit expansion Toronto so desperately needs.  

The referendum should require people to choose between funding transit expansion or not, and offer funding options that people can rank -- because we'll need more than one option. From creating toll lanes on the Gardiner Expressway and the Don Valley Parkway to increasing gas taxes, or charging an entrance fee to the downtown area, any combination of these choices would supply the funds necessary for funding for our transit expansion.

Toll lanes provide drivers the choice between paying to drive in the toll lane or not and could raise approximately $200-million per year. It's not the total that Toronto will need, but a start. Increasing gas taxes is another option, but might simply push people to buy gas outside the city. An entrance fee to the downtown core can provide additional funding and will increase the pressure to expand transit where densities and gridlock are highest.  

A transit referendum will cause people to think about the transit crisis and Toronto's future. When I imagine Toronto in 100 years I imagine all transit, at least in the downtown core, underground; a Toronto where the traffic-congested streets turn into pedestrian areas filled with cafés and park benches.

One hundred years ago people wouldn’t have believed that a woman sitting in a coffee shop in Toronto could take a wireless phone from her purse and talk to her sister in Tokyo.  And today people might not believe that our city could ever be free from traffic.  But my vision of Toronto is a city where an expansive subway system has eliminated the reliance on automobiles. Where Yonge Street has changed into a pedestrian path lined with trees, cafes, and flower gardens.

At 80 minutes, the average commute times for the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) are the highest in North America. The average commuter spends 2.7 hours each day commuting - he loses well over a full working day (13.3 hours) every single week just going back and forth from work. That equates to almost 86 (8 hour) days every year, close to 3 months given over to commuting. It is time to invest in a solution.

Reducing gridlock and commute times in Toronto depends on expanding our transit system effectively. This will depend on creating a transit “triage” to determine the priority of transit needs in the city and then rationing development efficiently. But it will also require smart long-term planning that pushes increased densities along our transit corridors with the goal to having actual ridership cover the operational costs of transit. 

Funding transit expansion can come from many different sources but the key is to set up a funding stream that doesn’t fluctuate every election, and one that can’t be taken over and put into the city’s general revenues. 

Tolls will provide a steady funding source and are used around the world for infrastructure development. China has tolls on all of their expressways, and most of their highways. The city of New York tolls their bridges and tunnels, and Texas has a system of tollways across the state. 

As Toronto's population grows (100,000 people per year) there will be more and more demand placed on our transit system. While it is easy to become side-tracked by what to build (light-rail or subway) and where (inner city or outer), the key issue that Toronto must address today is how to fund our transit expansion.

It is time once again for a referendum. 100 years after our first transit referendum, we must have a centennial transit referendum --  to allow voters the opportunity to decide which financing options Toronto should use to fund our transit expansion.

Sarah Thomson is the publisher of Women’s Post Media. She ran for Mayor of Toronto in 2010 and has organized the Toronto Town Hall Series -- The February 1st discussion will focus on funding Toronto’s transit expansion with guests TTC Chair Karen Stintz, and transit commentators Josh Fullan, Steve Munro, and John Tory. For more information please visit: www.womenspost.ca/events.

Image courtesy of Microsoft Office.