What does the future hold for the TTC? We ask councillors on board to weigh in
Thestar.com
January 10, 2019
Ben Spurr
The TTC board will hold its first meeting of the new council term on Thursday, and already there’s no shortage of pressing decisions members will have to make in the coming months.
They include grappling with the province’s plan to take ownership of the subway network, and deciding whether to increase fares as part of the 2019 budget, which is scheduled to go to council for approval in March.
Four of the six councillors who sit on the 10-person board are new to the agency, including Chair Jaye Robinson. (The remaining four members are citizen appointees.)
Ahead of their meeting, the Star put a series of questions to each councillor on the board to get their take on key TTC issues. All but Deputy Mayor Denzil Minnan-Wong responded.
Their answers have been edited for length and clarity.
Chair Jaye Robinson, Ward 15 Don Valley West
Toronto city councillor Jaye Robinson is chair of the TTC board, which holds its first meeting of the new council term Thursday.
Do you take the TTC regularly?
I ride the TTC every day. I ride Line 1 south to city hall and north to various Ward 15 events.
What do you consider the board’s top priority?
To address the critical reliability and capacity issues on Line 1 by getting shovels in the ground for the Downtown Relief Line and completing automatic train control.
Do you approve of the province’s plan to take ownership of the TTC subway system?
No. The TTC is a highly-integrated service -- I do not believe that one aspect of the TTC can be isolated from the system as a whole and continue to run effectively.
Would you support an increase to TTC fares this year?
No.
How would you describe the current state of TTC service? What would you do to improve it?
A number of initiatives have been taken in recent years to address reliability and customer experience, but we need to expand on these efforts.
Brad Bradford, Ward 19 Beaches-East York
Do you take the TTC regularly?
I love cycling so I try to ride my bike year round, but I still use the TTC at least a couple times a week.
What do you consider the board’s top priority this term?
While we still need to discuss the strategic priorities of the TTC Board, my top priority remains moving the Relief Line forward so we can accommodate the 200,000 to 300,000 new workers that will be coming to Toronto in the upcoming years.
Do you approve of the province’s plan to take ownership of the TTC subway system?
The TTC is the backbone for so many residents in this city, which is why I voted with the majority of councillors to tell the province loud and clear that the TTC should stay within the City of Toronto.
Would you support an increase to TTC fares this year?
I’m looking forward to reading the staff budget and I don’t want to interfere with their process.
How would you describe the current state of TTC service? What would you do to improve it?
One of the exciting opportunities I see is to support community-led transit planning. There are many local ideas I’ll be working on like reducing short turns on the 501 (Queen) streetcar and expanding express bus service on Victoria Park Ave.
Jennifer McKelvie, Ward 25 Scarborough-Rouge Park
Do you take the TTC regularly?
I have been commuting by GO train and TTC from Scarborough for decades.
What do you consider the board’s top priority this term?
It’s time to move from plans to action and expand the transit network.
Do you approve of the province’s plan to take ownership of the TTC subway system?
I prefer the City of Toronto retain ownership of the TTC subway system, but unfortunately that decision falls to the provincial government. We need to have a strong presence at the negotiating table to represent the interests of transit users and TTC employees, while ensuring the Scarborough subway extension and the Relief Line are built.
Would you support an increase to TTC fares this year?
As a member of the budget committee, I am committed to carefully examining all revenue tools to ensure we balance our budget.
How would you describe the current state of TTC service? What would you do to improve it?
While we have excellent service through much of the city, we continue to have transit deserts. I live in one of them. I’m interested in exploring micro-transit in some of these areas.
Shelley Carroll, Ward 17 Don Valley North
Do you take the TTC regularly?
No, and I won’t lie about it. My husband, daughter and I are a typical suburban family who use a combination of transit and driving to get around the city.
What do you consider the board’s top priority this term?
We have to make sure we have a board who fundamentally understands our existing transit system. This means taking deep dives into the workings of our system, such as assigning every member of the board 10 routes to ride, from start to finish, and reporting back to the board.
Do you approve of the province’s plan to take ownership of the TTC subway system?
There is no advantage to changing the ownership of our transit system unless the funding formula is revamped as well. So far, Premier (Doug) Ford has not proposed any such solution.
Would you support an increase to TTC fares this year?
We have hit the ceiling for fares. People need to see better service and a reliable Presto system before fare increases are justified.
How would you describe the current state of TTC service? What would you do to improve it?
It is clear that we are at capacity for most of the day, and something has to give. As we proceed through these concerning conversations with the province, one thing is clear -- we need to focus our discussions on the system as it exists today and move away from debating about which subway line should come next.
Jim Karygiannis, Ward 22 Scarborough-Agincourt
Do you take the TTC regularly? If so, what is your regular commute?
No. Try to get from (city hall) up to Scarborough on the TTC on a bus. God help you.
What do you think is the TTC board’s top priority this term?
Maintain, number one, what we have. Number two, make sure that whatever is in the pipeline does not run over cost (including projects like the McNicoll bus garage.)
One of the things that I would like to see is, have all our veterans get a free pass. And two, anybody over 65, off peak hours, I’m talking between 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. to have free access (to the TTC.)
Do you approve of the province’s plan to take ownership of the TTC subway system?
As long as they build (a subway extension on Sheppard Ave.) I don’t care if anybody takes it over.
Would you support an increase to TTC fares this year?
If that means that we provide the service that we’re doing, yes. And if it’s proven that it’s needed, yes.
How would you describe the current state of TTC service? What would you do to improve it?
It needs a lot of improvement, especially Wheel-Trans. I’ve been getting complaints from my constituents about Wheel-Trans, where they’re calling in and they’re put on hold.
