Top 3 reasons to oppose Bill 107:
1. Bill 107 will delay new transit
The province is
ripping up transit plans that are already in motion, and cancelling the Waterfront and Eglinton East LRTs. The Eglinton East LRT is being cancelled even though Premier Ford
promised to build it during his election campaign. The Province is proposing replacing the Relief Line with the "Ontario Line," a "freestanding" line that would be built using different technology and with an unconfirmed alignment. Toronto's City Manager has
61 questions about the Province's transit plan, questions that have not yet been answered. The Province has not defined what is meant by "freestanding," but the Province has not made any commitments to integrate fares on the Ontario Line with the TTC.
2. All the power over what gets built
Bill 107 gives new powers to the Minister of Transportation to decide what gets built and what doesn't get built, including the power to prohibit the City of Toronto from moving ahead with our own transit plans. This means that the City may not be able to work with the federal government to build Waterfront and Eglinton East LRTs, even though they've been left of the provincial map.
This part of Bill 107 works hand-in-hand with a provision in Bill 100 that gives the Minister of Transportation the ability to appoint transit inspectors with special powers to enter TTC and City of Toronto premises and seize data and more, without a warrant.
3. No oversight or compensation
The legislation contains what is known as a
"Henry VIII clause," (Section 47 (9) (b) of Bill 107)
which will allow Cabinet to pass regulations behind closed doors that exempt uploaded rapid transit from any existing statutes. This could mean that the
Planning Act, the
Environmental Protection Act, and the
Labour Relations Act won't apply to new lines. Making these changes by regulation means there will be less public scrutiny when changes occur. And putting Metrolinx in charge means less transparency and accountability. Unlike the TTC Board, where democratically-elected City Councillors make decisions and members of the public can make deputations and have a say, Metrolinx does not have any elected officials who are accountable to Toronto residents and does not allow the public to make deputations at meetings.
Bill 107 would also let province take over TTC and City of Toronto assets without compensation. This could include anything from public lands to intellectual property. TTC assets have been paid for by Toronto residents through our property taxes and the fare box, and are a public good. But Transportation Minister Jeff Yurek has been clear that one motivation for the TTC upload is to sell air rights to developers.
The Province and City of Toronto signed a Terms of Reference about the subway upload negotiations that included a commitment to public consultation. Toronto City Council had earlier voted on December 13, 2018 to record its opposition to the upload, and include a public consultation process in negotiations with the province. Consultations have not taken place.
