Extension a vision for the future of Scarborough, Opinion, Feb. 13

As usual, proponents of the Scarborough subway employ a host of hypotheticals and extremely wishful thinking to justify a transit project that has long since become unjustifiable. Jennifer McKelvie, president of the Scarborough Community Renewal Organization, goes so far as to make the absurd claim that we shouldn’t worry, and should instead place our faith in the upcoming elections somehow resulting in a guaranteed capital funding stream for transit.

The subway extension has already gobbled up its allocated funding, and shoved the Eglinton East LRT out of the way. The delay in releasing updated costs for the subway until after the municipal election indicates that the subway costs will grow even further. Spending upwards of $3.5 billion to build a single subway stop is simply unjustifiable, and the money would be far better spent on light rail and improved bus service across Scarborough.

The issue is not the amount being spent on new transit in Scarborough, but rather the subway extension’s extraordinary inefficiency that will result in longer travel times for many residents of Scarborough.

Alex Gatien, Toronto