The Ontario PCs’ victory in the provincial election has revived one city councillor’s hope of cancelling the Finch West LRT, but killing the project could cost hundreds of millions of dollars and critics warn it would deprive northwest Toronto of badly needed transit.

At a fractious community meeting hosted by Metrolinx at a North York high school Thursday, Councillor Giorgio Mammoliti (Ward 7 York West) renewed his push to stop the $1.2-billion Finch LRT, which would run for 11 kilometres between Finch West subway station and Humber College.

Mammoliti wants a subway on the route instead, despite projected ridership that falls well below levels that would justify a more expensive underground line, and the fact Metrolinx, the provincial agency in charge of the project, has already spent at least $236.3 million on the LRT. The province has already awarded the contract to build the 18-stop line, which is scheduled for completion by 2023.

“I’ve heard the latest (Ontario PC) provincial government say in the election that they want the best transportation network for communities, they want to revisit the existing corridors like ours, like Finch … and I’d like them to,” Mammoliti told the crowd.

“Then I’d like to ask the question as to whether or not we can have a subway on Finch Ave., designate us a subway, and how long that might take.”

Premier-designate Doug Ford made his preference for subways over LRTs well known during his one term as a city councillor, but during the provincial election his party said he would proceed with the Finch LRT as planned. In an emailed statement Friday, an Ontario PC spokesperson said Ford is “committed to getting shovels in the ground and honouring existing transit commitments that get people moving and reduce congestion.”

The audience at Thursday’s meeting appeared divided on the LRT-versus-subway issue, with residents applauding points made for both sides.

At one point the event devolved into shouting when Mammoliti refused to let a representative from Metrolinx finish a presentation about the LRT project, claiming he had run out of time. Some residents abruptly left the auditorium, with one telling reporters the councillor was “acting like a tyrant.”

Mammoliti said after the meeting that anyone who accused him of strong-arm tactics “can go to hell.”

“I’m not a dictator. In fact, I’m very diplomatic,” he said.

Mammoliti’s latest attack on the LRT rests on a claim that local residents weren’t consulted on the plan.

Read more:

Finch LRT delayed another year

Opinion | Royson James: Doug Ford’s transit plans are latest example of cost and chaos politicians inflict on transit users

Study says improving bus service is the best way to boost transit ridership

In a speech at last month’s council meeting, he falsely stated the city and Metrolinx “held no consultation, none whatsoever, in Ward 7, from the inception of the LRT. Not one meeting.”

He repeated the claim Thursday, declaring it the “first opportunity” residents had been given to weigh in on the LRT, despite members of the audience saying they had attended previous meetings about the project.

In fact, there were numerous consultations along the LRT route before and after council approved it in 2010, including in Mammoliti’s ward.

As part of an environmental assessment, the city and TTC held public meetings along Finch in 2008 and 2009, including at a banquet hall and business improvement area in Ward 7.

According to Metrolinx, after the provincial agency took over the project, it held at least 26 meetings between 2012 and 2015 with Finch residents, business improvement areas, Humber College, and community groups, and held sessions in all three wards where the LRT would run.

“There was extensive consultation around the project, the impact, the alignment, the stops,” said Jamie Robinson, Metrolinx director of community relations.

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

Despite Mammoliti warning in a public notice to residents that “large sections of Finch Ave. will close for up to a year,” Robinson said there are no such plans.

Although Finch may have to be closed for a few weekends in order to replace an overpass, Metrolinx said it otherwise intends to keep at least one lane of traffic open in each direction at all times.

“There are no long-term closures of Finch West required as part of the project,” Robinson said.

Keegan Henry-Mathieu, who is running against Mammoliti in October’s municipal election, agrees local residents are worried about the construction impacts of the LRT.

He accused Mammoliti of using those “legitimate concerns” to stoke opposition to a light rail plan that will finally get local transit riders off the Finch bus, which is one of the TTC’s most crowded routes. Henry-Mathieu said people he’s spoken to in the neighbourhood support the LRT.

“Residents know that it’s going to bring benefits to the community. They know it’s something that’s been long overdue, and people will tell you right then and there that they know a subway is not a viable option,” he said.

The environmental assessment projected that, based on employment and population forecasts for the corridor, the peak ridership demand on Finch by 2031 would be between 2,300 and 2,800 people per hour. That’s well below the 10,000 people per hour the city said would justify a much more expensive subway.

In an interview Wednesday, Mammoliti dismissed those ridership projections, claiming the TTC underestimates how many people use the Finch bus because many people board without paying.

“I know the ridership is there. I know that we need a subway,” he said.

A spokesperson for the TTC said the agency has never relied on fare box revenue to determine bus ridership, and instead uses manual counts performed by agency staff.

In the interview, Mammoliti also said much of the $236.3 million Metrolinx has already spent on Finch was for utility work that was required anyway and wasn’t specifically related to the transit project.

“It really has nothing to do with the LRT itself,” he said.

According to Metrolinx, expenditures to date include early utility works, but also testing, engineering, and legal work related to the LRT bidding process, planning and design work for a light rail vehicle maintenance and storage facility, and property acquisition.

Read more about: