Ford dreams big but comes up short on funding for his subway plans

August 19, 2020

QUEEN’S PARK — Green Party of Ontario Leader and Guelph MPP Mike Schreiner issued the following statement on Premier Ford’s subway plans for the west GTA:

“We all want good public transit. But tunnelling for subways with stripped-down environmental assessments is wrongheaded.

We must build more public transit, but eliminating crucial safeguards sets a terrible precedent.

A responsible regulatory framework not only protects our natural heritage, but it also helps to prevent costly mistakes.

I urge the Premier to address the huge hole in his campaign-style announcements to avoid giving people false hope. Forty percent of the funding for his subways must come from the federal government, and there is no guarantee of securing these funds.

The Premier should stop campaigning on partially funded transit schemes that may never actually transpire and pay more attention to the hundreds of thousands of parents that want safer classrooms.”

-30-