What happened at the transit upload consultations?

 

Toronto City Council voted to oppose the province’s transit takeover in December 2018. But you wouldn’t know it from attending one of the public consultations about the upload hosted by the City in June 2019. City Council is failing to take a strong stand to keep our transit system under local, public control.

TTCriders members and allies attended all four public consultation meetings and handed out fact sheets about the provincial transit takeover to members of the public. [Download the fact sheet here]. Here’s what happened and the next actions we can take to keep the pressure on MPPs and Councillors.

What happened at the transit consultations?  

Funding cuts left out

Presentations by City staff failed to mention that the province has cut $1.1 billion in promised funding to the TTC over the next 10 years, and the impacts of the cuts on accessibility upgrades and service. 

Province refused to answer questions

Provincial representatives from the Ministry of Transportation were invited to the consultations, but did not attend. In Etobicoke, Associate Minister of Transportation Kinga Surma attended, but did not answer questions about her government’s plans to cut TTC funding, rip up existing transit plans, and leave Waterfront and Eglinton East LRTs off the map.

No real public input 

Members of the public who attended were not asked what they thought about the upload. Instead, the consultations included information displays and presentations by City staff, with an opportunity for questions. Not much of a consultation. And without provincial representatives in attendance, staff were unable to answer basic questions about the province’s plans. 

 

What’s next?

A report will go to the Executive Committee and City Council in the Fall about the results of the consultations. Make sure you're signed up to our email list to get the update. In the meantime, there are lots of ways to help keep the pressure on: 

Sign up to volunteer

TTCriders is doing outreach all summer long at festivals and neighbourhood events. Sign up to join our summer outreach team to spread the word and join actions about the transit cuts and TTC takeover! No experience necessary - we’ll have all the materials and info you need. 

Fill out the online transit survey

The City is still collecting surveys about the subway upload. Filling out the survey only takes a few minutes and shows how many residents care about keeping the TTC public and under local control. Use our cheat sheet here if you're not sure how to answer a question. 

Contact your Councillor & MPP directly

Use TTCriders' form to contact your Councillor, MPP, and Minister of Transportation Caroline Mulroney directly to oppose the subway takeover and funding cuts. 

Latest posts

Take action

Tell your City Councillor: Freeze TTC Fares
Bus lanes now
Rally to Open the Crosstown
Protect Door-to-Door Wheel-Trans Service!
Tell Your MP: Sign the Transit Pledge
Add your name for Fare Capping!
Keep and Expand Free TTC Wi-Fi!

Connect with us