Vomiting sounds from Mayor Rob Ford over proposed fees to kickstart massive GTA-Hamilton transit expansion were drowned out Tuesday by decision-makers who said gridlock has to be conquered.

“The mayor’s been pretty consistent in his position about new taxes, but it will come to council and council will make a decision,” TTC chair Karen Stintz said after the provincial Metrolinx agency released its list of 11 potential ways to raise $2 billion a year for transportation projects.

“It’s really a discussion of whether or not the transit projects are the right transit projects, and whether or not we want to contribute to them as a region — and I think the answer is yes.”

When a reporter started to read the proposed fees to Ford during a city hall news conference, he made a gagging sound and quickly rejected them.

“You can’t tax people, implement these new taxes to pay for transit,” Ford told reporters after kicking off the “Clean Toronto Together” spring cleanup.

“You want to pay for transit, I’ve got a good idea — it’s called a casino,” Ford said.

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“You get a lot of money to pay for a good amount of the transit, you get the private sector involved — people aren’t ready for new taxes yet.”

Is a casino the best way to pay for Toronto transit?

Stintz’s comment underlines the fact, however, that Ford is far from Toronto’s final word on the subject. The proposal for a downtown casino looks like a long shot and the mayor long ago lost his ability to command a majority of council votes on many issues, including transit expansion.

Many councillors have expressed support for new revenue tools and Metrolinx will look for input from council as a whole — not just Ford.

Metrolinx will gather feedback and by June 1 make a recommendation to the Ontario government and the municipalities.

Metrolinx’s options include property taxes, transit fare increases and parking levies, including parking at GO Transit stations, as well as more innovative schemes — including one that could see motorists charged for each kilometre they travel in the region.

Premier Kathleen Wynne reacted positively to the proposals, saying they at least show the problem is finally about to be tackled.

With files from Richard J. Brennan and Daniel Dale

Wynne said it’s natural that, on first blush, people don’t want to pay more, “but if the question is ‘Do you want to have the transit that is needed in this region?’ . . . the answer is yes. Everyone wants that.

“And the next question has to be: How are we going to pay for that?And it is a combination of investments that the government has made . . . but it has to be in combination with the federal government and other revenue streams. There just isn’t any other way to continue to build,” she told reporters at the end of her tour of an executive jet refurbishing facility

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While Ford was mock-gagging, Metrolinx chief executive Bruce McCuaig was publicly unveiling the proposals first revealed Tuesday morning by the Star’s Tess Kalinowski.

McCuaig told reporters that, in drafting its list, Metrolinx was guided by four principles: a clear link between revenue and projects; fairness among population groups; geographic equity; and accountability.

McCuaig had no comment on Ford’s vomiting sound.

With files from Richard J. Brennan and Daniel Dale

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