We can't wait another year for better service
We can't wait another year for better service
On Friday January 24 the TTC Board met to vote on the TTC's 2019 operating
and capital budgets and the 15-Year Capital Plan. On the very same day, transit
riders across Toronto experienced major delays of up to 3 hours due to signal
problems on Line 1 that are a direct result of a lack of investment in the
maintenance of the subway system. To add insult to injury, the Board endorsed a
10-cent fare increase. The TTC and City Council are once again asking transit
riders to pay the price of chronic underfunding without significant improvements
to service.
Eli, the transit lead on the Toronto Youth Cabinet, spoke in strong opposition
to the fare hikes, citing the significant impact it would have on young people
in Toronto. The TTC has proposed a 5% increase to student fares and Eli stated
that "it is an additional cost they simply cannot afford." He also points to the
injustice of these fare increases by asking "would it be acceptable if property
taxes went up 73% faster than the rate of inflation?"
Kathy, an active member of TTCriders, stressed the major impact these fare hikes
will have on seniors like herself, who live on a fixed income. She shared that
"Every little change will make a big impact on my life. Fare hikes mean less
going out, isolation will create health risks and a greater burden for our
health care system." She goes on to say that less affordable transit will add to
existing struggles with high rent, food prices, and medication. Misty Parsons,
member of the Fair Fare Coalition made a deputation about the importance of
affordable transit and spoke to CP24 about why a fare hike is unacceptable.
My commute took over an hour and forty minutes today...here's what St Clair West station's platform looked like. We need to materially invest in the TTC. Now. pic.twitter.com/tdKk6KSto3
— Dan Seljak-Byrne (@DanSeljak) January 24, 2019
Take action
We can't wait another year for better service. The TTC budget and fare increases are not a done deal until Council votes on the budget on March 7!- Send a message to your City Councillor & the TTC Board
- Call Mayor Tory at 416-397-2489 to urge him to cancel the fare hike and fairly fund the TTC
- Sign up to speak to the Budget Committee
- Join a canvass for our Day of Action on Tuesday February 26th
What did we hear?
You can watch the full meeting on YouTube, but here are some powerful points that stood out: TTC staff stressed that there are major funding gaps in both the 2019 Operating Budget and the 15-Year Capital Plan that put the entire system at risk. Staff stated that they have "no room to absorb bad news this year", and that the long-term outlook just to keep the system in a state-of-good-repair is cause for concern. Many transit riders and residents came out to the meeting.Adam Cohoon, the Chair of TTCriders' Accessibility Committee, made a powerful deputation about the risk of continuing to leave accessibility improvements unfunded in the TTC's capital budget.Lots of residents and transit riders are in attendance at today's #TTCboard meeting to demand more funding for the TTC that is desperately needed. We'll be sharing updates from the meeting. #ttc #FundOurRide #topoli pic.twitter.com/kVSvlDNpRs
— TTCriders (@ttcriders) January 24, 2019
Eli, the transit lead on the Toronto Youth Cabinet, spoke in strong opposition
to the fare hikes, citing the significant impact it would have on young people
in Toronto. The TTC has proposed a 5% increase to student fares and Eli stated
that "it is an additional cost they simply cannot afford." He also points to the
injustice of these fare increases by asking "would it be acceptable if property
taxes went up 73% faster than the rate of inflation?"
Kathy, an active member of TTCriders, stressed the major impact these fare hikes
will have on seniors like herself, who live on a fixed income. She shared that
"Every little change will make a big impact on my life. Fare hikes mean less
going out, isolation will create health risks and a greater burden for our
health care system." She goes on to say that less affordable transit will add to
existing struggles with high rent, food prices, and medication. Misty Parsons,
member of the Fair Fare Coalition made a deputation about the importance of
affordable transit and spoke to CP24 about why a fare hike is unacceptable.
Misty Parsons speaks with @cristina_CP24 about why she opposes the #TTC fare increase, and why city and province need to fairly fund TTC to make it affordable and improve service #topoli @MapMisty pic.twitter.com/owvcfLC3Dg
— TTCriders (@ttcriders) January 24, 2019
Erinn, who came to the board meeting on behalf of the Jane and Finch Coalition Against Poverty (JFAAP) expressed their opposition to the fare increases. She called on City Council to fairly fund the TTC and stated that "people with such limited resources should not be expected to spend them on a system that does not even serve them well." Many Councillors on the Board expressed their reluctance to raise fares for transit riders and displaced blame to the provincial government for not providing more money for the system. While the TTC does need dedicated long-term stable funding from the province, the City must also be held responsible for fairly funding the TTC. City Council has many tools at their disposal to raise the revenue needed.
What's next?
The fight to cancel fare hikes is not over until council votes on the budget on March 7th. The final decision lies with City Council, after it passes through the Budget and Executive Committees. Join us at an upcoming meeting to ensure they hear us loud and clear: fairly fund the TTC, don't hike our fares!- Send a message to your City Councillor & the TTC Board
- Call Mayor Tory at 416-397-2489 to urge him to cancel the fare hike and fairly fund the TTC
- Sign up to speak to the Budget Committee
- Join a canvass for our Day of Action on Tuesday February 26th
- City Hall – 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; and 6:00 p.m. onwards
- Scarborough Civic Centre – 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.; and 6:00 p.m. onwards