Metrolinx announces 'thorough' review of controversial GO stations

Star investigation revealed that the provincial transportation ministry pressured the agency into approving the stops, one of which is in the minister's riding.

Thestar.com
Sept. 12, 2017
By Ben Spurr

Metrolinx will undertake a "thorough and comprehensive" review of two proposed new GO Transit stations, after a Star investigation revealed the provincial transportation ministry pressured the arm's-length agency into approving the stops.

However, critics are already slamming the review as inadequate because while it will make recommendations about whether Metrolinx should proceed with the controversial stations, the agency hasn't committed to examining the role that political interference may have played in the stops' approval.

One of the proposed stations, Kirby, is in the Vaughan riding represented by Ontario Liberal Transportation Minister Steven Del Duca. The other, Lawrence East in Scarborough, is part of Mayor John Tory's "SmartTrack" plan.

Documents obtained through a freedom of information request show that in June 2016 the Metrolinx board voted in secret not to build the two stations, which were not supported by studies the agency had commissioned. The board then reconvened in public and endorsed them after Del Duca's ministry intervened.

The Kirby station is estimated to cost about $100 million to build, while the price tag for Lawrence East is estimated at $23 million.

In a letter Metrolinx posted online Tuesday afternoon, board chair Rob Prichard said he had directed agency management to "initiate a thorough and comprehensive review of all the relevant analyses and information" for both stations.

According to the letter, which was addressed to Del Duca and dated Sept. 8, as part of the review Metrolinx will gather updated information about the stops including submissions from the cities of Vaughan and Toronto on proposed land-use changes around the station sites, population and jobs projections, local transit plans "and any other relevant information."

Hours before Metrolinx released the letter, Del Duca, refused to elaborate on what role if any he played in pressuring Metrolinx into approving the stations last year, saying he wouldn't comment on "historical details."

Appearing at an unrelated news conference in Burlington, Ont., the minister said the important thing is that Metrolinx won't move forward with the stops unless further analysis determines they're warranted.

"Metrolinx will not enter into any contractual obligations or spend any money until they're satisfied that both Lawrence East and Kirby are justified," Del Duca said. "If the Metrolinx management and board are satisfied that they are justified, they'll go forward... if the evidence isn't there, the stations won't go forward."

Business cases commissioned by Metrolinx before the board vote determined that both Kirby and Lawrence East would cause a net loss of ridership on the GO network, because they wouldn't attract enough new riders to offset the number of passengers who would stop taking transit due to the longer travel time the additional stations would cause.

A report prepared for Metrolinx by a consultant firm in June 2016 recommended against building the stations, as did initial drafts of agency board reports.

The documents obtained by the Star show the board met behind closed doors June 15, 2016 and voted not to go ahead with the stops, but a day later Del Duca's ministry sent the agency draft press releases indicating he intended to announce stations that the board hadn't approved.

The press releases shocked Metrolinx officials. After discussions between agency leaders and ministry staff however, Metrolinx's board reconvened in public June 28, 2016, and approved the two stops as part of a list of 12 new stations under GO Transit's $13.5-billion regional express rail expansion plan.

Board reports were rewritten to support the two stations. Metrolinx didn't release business cases for the new stops it had considered until almost nine months after the vote. The agency never published the consultant report that recommended against Kirby and Lawrence East, but the Star obtained a copy.

On Tuesday Del Duca declined to discuss whether he had directed Metrolinx leaders to approve the two stations.

"I was given an opportunity to provide my input. I provided my input with respect to those decisions," he replied, echoing statements he made to the Star in June.

He did not explain why his ministry drafted press releases that showed he planned to announce stations Metrolinx hadn't approved.

"You're focused on the historical details, I'm focused on the go-forward," he told a reporter.

The minister evaded the question when asked whether the approval of the two stations was free from political influence.

"I think on a go-forward basis what the most important thing for us to recognize is that Metrolinx is going to make sure they're satisfied that both Lawrence East and Kirby are justified based on the analysis that they're going to do," he replied.

Progressive Conservative transportation critic Michael Harris called on Del Duca to "come clean" about his role in the stations' approval. He accused Metrolinx and the Liberal government of "running away" from the issue by supporting the review, which he predicted wouldn't get to the bottom of why the stations were endorsed despite not being supported by the reports.

"I don't have confidence or faith in either the minister's office or Metrolinx to be honest and transparent with taxpayers on how this decision was made," said Harris, who is the MPP for Kitchener-Conestoga.

"We all know at the end of the day, as we've seen with this decision, that the Metrolinx board is unfortunately at the beck and call of the minister for political decisions."

Harris has asked the provincial auditor general to conduct a "full value for money audit" of the two stops.

According to Prichard's letter, Metrolinx management will report back with recommendations stemming from the review in time for the board's February 2018 meeting. Prichard wrote that Del Duca has confirmed that he will "respect and support whatever conclusion the board reaches."

The province is expected to enter into contracts for new GO Transit stations in the spring of next year.

A spokesperson for Tory said his office welcomes the review.

"City staff have recommended Lawrence East as a stop for SmartTrack and as an important part of the Scarborough transit network plan. City council has voted to move ahead with SmartTrack and the province has endorsed this plan," wrote Don Peat in an email.