Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty has hit the brakes on Toronto Mayor Rob Ford’s subway ambitions as the mayor vows to take his fight to the court of public opinion.

That sets the stage for a continued clash over the city’s transit future with McGuinty saying Thursday he’s “obligated” to consider council’s stunning Wednesday night vote to revive plans for light rail lines.

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TIMELINE: HOW TORONTO’S TRANSIT MESS UNFOLDED

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Ford rode public transit into the wee hours after his plan was rejected by councillors — with plenty of time to drum up support for his 2010 election promise to build new transit underground.

The province, which is giving Toronto $8.4 billion for transit expansion, can’t consider council’s latest vision until an expert panel’s report on the future of light rail or a subway for Sheppard Ave. E., due by March 31.

“Our campaign is just going to the streets, talking to the people,” said the mayor’s brother Doug, a councillor who was on the losing side of the 25-18 vote.

It revived plans for street-level light-rail lines on Finch Ave. W. and on Eglinton Ave. east of Laird Dr. To the west, the Eglinton line would still be underground.

“This is halftime — trust me, this game is not over by a long shot,” Doug Ford added. “Every poll says 70 to 80 per cent of people want subways. You can’t ignore the will of the people … but they need to speak up, too.”

McGuinty openly contradicted the mayor’s assertion that he was “very confident” the province would push ahead with the subway plan despite the vote by Toronto council.

“I’ve also been very clear with the mayor from day one. At the time the memorandum of understanding (on Ford’s version of the transit plan) was entered into, there was a specific provision that he’s got to seek the support of the council,” McGuinty told reporters after a lunch speech in Ottawa.

“He reached out to me just last Friday. I confirmed once again that I needed the approval of the council. Should he receive that, great, we’re off to the races,” he said.

Speaking after Wednesday’s vote, Ford had declared council’s decision “irrelevant” and expressed optimism that Queen’s Park would back his own transit strategy.

Instead, the premier thanked Toronto council for ending the “limbo.”

“That is very helpful to us. Folks at Metrolinx will now sit down with the city and see if we can come to an understanding, to find some common ground and do what Torontonians want us to do, which is to make progress and build transit,” McGuinty said.

However, Transportation Minister Bob Chiarelli said McGuinty’s cabinet won’t be able to make any final decisions on Toronto’s plans until the Sheppard Ave. report is debated by council.

“Once a complete plan is received, the province and Metrolinx will move quickly to deliver on the public transit priorities that Toronto residents expect,” he said at Queen’s Park, clearly wary the entire debate could be revisited.

“I would simply encourage city council, the TTC and the mayor’s office to leave your politics at the door … the people of this city of Toronto want results,” Chiarelli told reporters.

“Further prolonged debate … borders on being irresponsible,” he added.

McGuinty said the province has had success getting other transit lines built in Toronto, like the subway extension to York University and the rail link to Pearson International Airport, both under construction.

Privately, senior Liberals were incredulous at Ford’s inability to get his pet subway scheme passed by council.

“The premier took the MOU (memorandum of understanding) to cabinet and got it approved and the mayor couldn’t do the same?” said one official.

Wednesday’s vote is widely seen at the province as evidence Ford has been emasculated by city council, which could colour future negotiations between the two levels of government on other matters.

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Given that provincial contact with the city is typically through the mayor’s office, Chiarelli urged the mayor “to look at the traditional power dynamic in any major city in Ontario, and that is that council rules supreme.”

He poured cold water on talk of a referendum on the competing transit plans, warning “it would involve significant delay.”

Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak urged the premier to ignore council and follow Ford’s wish for subways — despite the fact Hudak was an MPP in the Mike Harris government that ordered the Eglinton subway scrapped and the hole filled in back in 1995.

“I think the mayor is right about this,” said Hudak, calling subways a better method of fighting gridlock.

On Thursday, Ford hit the streets, malls and doorsteps to collect numbers and names of Torontonians he said support subways.

“I'm just going to move on,” he told the Star’s Jack Lakey while visiting Old Weston Rd. and St. Clair Ave. with Councillor Cesar Palacio to check out reported traffic problems caused by the St. Clair streetcar right-of-way.

“Ultimately, it’ll be up to the province to decide” how its transit expansion money will be spent, the mayor acknowledged.

The Sheppard line study due next month was an olive branch from transit rebels on council, led by TTC chair Karen Stintz.

Ford has not said publicly that he wants Stintz out of her high-profile portfolio after she engineered the defeat of his transit plan at council.

But firing her could be more difficult for Ford than getting his plans passed. A rule change last April requires a majority of council to appoint and unseat the chair of most city boards, agencies and commissions, including the TTC.

It’s unlikely the majority of councillors, who supported Stintz’s surface light rail plan at a special council meeting Wednesday, would vote to remove her from the TTC.

“People who felt forced to vote on the mayor’s side have expressed serious disappointment with his comportment,” said Councillor Maria Augimeri (York Centre).

Doug Ford had a word of warning for any political opponents who might be celebrating his loss at council, noting that his brother carried Etobicoke and Scarborough.

“As far as I’m concerned (opposing councillors) just handed the mayor a second term,” he said.

“I know the math inside and out, and you can’t win without Etobicoke and Scarborough — and now those folks are behind Rob more than ever.”

With files from Robert Benzie and Tess Kalinowski

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