As much as it pains one to say it, Toronto Mayor Rob Ford and his brother, Councillor Doug, are rightly critical of the TTC’s decision to renew the system’s newsstand contract without seeking other bids.

Though the crudeness of the Ford’s attack on commission chair Karen Stintz on their Sunday CFRB gruntfest discredits them (again), their argument makes sense. Though for them the issue was the sole sourcing of a public contract; for transit users, it’s equally a matter of how badly the newsstands are operated.

It’s telling that even after all the attention and pressure, the TTC would pass up a rare opportunity to enhance the passengers’ lot, if not improve it.

The truth is that the TTC’s 65 subway newsstands are generally a waste of time and space. The service tends to be desultory and the merchandise minimal and utterly ordinary. Not that anyone expects underground boutiques and pop-ups, but surely these shops could be a little more interesting, imaginative and appealing to commuters.

Tobmar Investments, the company that holds the contract and franchises the spaces to Gateway, has agreed to a hefty 67 per cent rent increase and promised to spend $1.5 million renovating the outlets. It will also pay a signing bonus of $1.5 million.

However good that may sound on paper, it would likely leave the typical TTC rider unimpressed. Spread over 67 stores, $1.5 million won’t go far.

Clearly, the TTC gave Tobmar a 15-year contract extension for strictly financial reasons. But underneath it, one gets a sense of an organization that still hasn’t grasped the fact that in the 21st century, its focus must be as much on people as on engineering.

The passenger has always been the forgotten element in TTC corporate culture; that’s why it failed to see the end of a long-term contract with a mediocre supplier as a moment for change and improvement.

No, better newsstands won’t make up for the inconvenience and discomfort of TTC travel, but they might give us something to look at — and buy — between trains.

Of course, in a world of franchises, chains and growing retail homogeneity, what are the chances of replacing Gateway with something better?

As it is, most of the time most of the newsstands seem to be closed. Apparently, there aren’t enough of us to make it worthwhile to stay open. Obviously the existing model doesn’t work. But with up to 1.7 million riders daily, the TTC has much to offer.

Like the old Vitrolite tiles that lined the walls of the original 1950s subway stations, the stores come from a different era. They have failed to keep up with the times; despite occupying prime locations within the system, they have become invisible.

A similar story played out at Casa Loma, where the Kiwanis ran the show from 1937 until last year, when the city finally woke up the fact that Sir Henry Pellatt’s 1914 mansion is actually a unique civic asset.

“Casa Loma could be extraordinary,” Mark Robert, who successfully transformed the seventh floor of the old Eaton College St. into The Carlu, said when Kiwanis’ contract last came up for renewal. “It’s a great piece of real estate. But they’re doing it stupidly. It’s ridiculous. There should be a chic cafe there. It should have something more than Druxy’s. Now Casa Loma has a bit of a cheesy reputation. I don’t think they have the right operator or business model. And its branding is all wrong.”

Who could disagree?

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

The opportunities are there; but we must see them before we can seize them.