In a move that will leave transit-starved Torontonians gnashing their teeth in frustration, the TTC has once again blown open the debate about whether the city should be building subways or LRTs.

Only moments after declaring that a downtown relief subway line must be a priority transit project for Toronto, councillors on the TTC board ordered staff to produce two more feasibility studies on Scarborough subways by January.

TTC chair Karen Stintz and provincial officials insisted those studies would have no impact on the master agreement between the TTC, Metrolinx and the province that could go to council as early as next week. It’s supposed to be the final word on a plan to use $8.4 billion in provincial funding to build four LRTs.

But some city councillors, caught off-guard by the request Wednesday for subway studies, suggested the commission is sending mixed signals, undermining its credibility with the province, council and the public.

It also bolsters Mayor Rob Ford’s position in the next election, said Councillor Josh Matlow (Ward 22, St. Paul’s).

“What the TTC have done today is reopen the debate and given the mayor a perfect platform to repeat, ‘Subway, subway, subway,’ over and over again and, now I hear more people joining in that chant,” he said.

TTC commissioner John Parker (Ward 26, Don Valley West), was out of the room speaking with reporters when the commission unanimously approved a motion by TTC vice-chair Glenn De Baeremaeker (Ward 38, Scarborough Centre) requesting a study on extending the Bloor-Danforth subway past the Scarborough Town Centre.

A subsequent motion by Etobicoke Councillor Peter Milczyn for another study of a Sheppard subway also passed with the support of Stintz, Raymond Cho (Ward 42, Scarborough-Rouge River), and De Baeremaeker. Commissioners Josh Colle (Ward 15, Eglinton-Lawrence) and Maria Augimeri (Ward 9, York Centre) were opposed.

The normally measured Parker said he hoped the Scarborough subway study wouldn’t dilute the message that the city needs a downtown relief line.

He angrily confronted De Baeremaeker after the meeting, calling his request “a stupid, stupid, irresponsible thing.”

“(Ontario Transportation Minister Bob) Chiarelli looks like the only grownup in the room,” Parker told Stintz after she stepped in to defend De Baeremaeker.

Even though council has already rejected the idea, when it failed to approve De Baeremaeker and Stintz’s OneCity transit plan, De Baeremaeker said he’s confident that council and the province will support his proposal rather than the planned LRT. It would only cost the city an additional $500 million on top of the money the province has already committed to the project, he said.

“I think the Scarborough extension of the Bloor-Danforth line from Kennedy up to McCowan and Sheppard through the Scarborough Town Centre has the people — there are tens of thousands of people using that line now … . I think $500 million is affordable,” he said.

“I think everybody would agree we need a downtown relief line and everybody would agree we need a subway in Scarborough. The question is which one,” De Baeremaeker added.

The mayor’s plan to extend the Sheppard subway, for more than $3 billion, was rejected by council earlier this year. It was too expensive and couldn’t be justified by ridership projections, De Baeremaeker said.

The province immediately signaled that it won’t rethink the current plan.

“The train has left the station,” said Chiarelli’s spokesman, David Salter. “The McGuinty government is investing $8.4 billion in Toronto public transit based on council resolutions passed in February and March of 2012.”

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Metrolinx also confirmed it would be continuing on the LRT program for Finch, Sheppard, Eglinton and the current SRT route.

“Construction is underway and work is progressing. We understand that TTC staff will need to report back to the commission on these motions. In the meantime, work continues to move forward on the delivery of all four projects, based on the approvals from city council, Metrolinx and the province,” said spokesman Jamie Robinson.

The TTC deferred a decision to award a contract for cellphone service in subway stations until representatives of Broadcast Australia were available to answer questions about their $25 million, 20-year bid for the business.

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