The Progressive Conservative provincial government is moving ahead with its controversial plan to take over Toronto’s subway system.

In a statement released Friday, Transportation Minister John Yakabuski announced the appointment of a special adviser who will chart a course for uploading the city-owned rail network to the province.

“This is part of our government's plan to improve public transit and bring relief to commuters across the region,” said Yakabuski in the release.

“Travelling around the GTHA can be difficult and cumbersome. Traffic congestion and a lack of transit infrastructure is costing money, jobs and time. Our government is stepping up and treating the subway like the vital service it is.”

The adviser, Michael Lindsay, is a former vice-president at Infrastructure Ontario, and has also served as a director at Hatch, an engineering consulting firm.

He will chair a panel of up to three experts that will “support the government in determining the best approach to the upload,” according to the release.

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Yakabuski’s spokesperson Justine Lewkowicz said the adviser role and panel have been established for a term of up to one year, with an option for an extension at Premier Doug Ford’s discretion. There’s no firm timeline for the panel to make its recommendations, or for the proposed upload to take place. Lindsay won’t be paid for his work.

The Tories have stressed the government is only considering taking ownership of the subway system, and would leave day-to-day operations and proceeds of fare revenue to the TTC. They argue the province taking control of the subways would reduce costs and allow the government to build transit faster.

But experts have warned that having the province own the subway lines while the city maintains control of the bus and streetcar network could lead to conflicts that could negatively affect transit service.

Critics have also argued that under provincial control, the Conservatives could expand the subway network further into the suburbs outside Toronto where the party enjoys strong political support, at the expense of building new lines needed to relieve congestion in the downtown core.

The opposition NDP, as well as transit workers unions and advocacy groups, argue the proposed provincial takeover is a prelude to privatizing the subway network.

In a statement released Friday afternoon, NDP transit critic Jessica Bell warned the result of the Conservative plan would be “cuts and privatization” that will lead to “higher costs and worse service for TTC riders.”

“People are already crammed onto streetcars, buses and subways, or stuck waiting at stops for a spot. We can’t afford Ford’s plan for transit in Toronto,” said Bell, who is MPP for University-Rosedale.

Frank Grimaldi, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 113, which represents more than 10,000 TTC employees, said transit workers were “disappointed” by the appointment of the special adviser.

“To improve the TTC, the government should fund it properly — not break it apart,” he said in a statement.

“A divided system raises issues of accountability and integration while taking the first step in a slippery slope towards privatization, delays and fare hikes. ATU Local 113 calls on Torontonians to stand together to protect the public transit system.”

Prior to Friday’s announcement, the union was already planning to launch a campaign on Labour Day “to stop Ford’s TTC takeover.” The campaign is in co-operation with transit advocacy group TTCriders, which is partially funded by the ATU.

The Transportation Ministry didn’t publish terms of reference for the advisory panel Friday. Asked in an email whether the Conservatives would deviate from their campaign proposal to merely take ownership of the subway should the panel recommend privatizing the network or taking over subway operations as well, Lewkowicz didn’t directly answer. She repeated a line from the news release about the panel helping determine “the best approach to the upload.”

Mayor John Tory released a statement in which he reiterated his call for the province to confer with the city before executing a takeover of the subway network, which has been owned by the city since the first line was built in 1954.

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“I have been clear that any decision about our subway system needs to be in the best interests of the people of Toronto and Toronto must be completely involved and consulted as the premier previously indicated would be the case,” Tory said.

The Conservatives have pledged to contribute $5 billion for new subways in the Toronto-area as part of any upload plan, and identified the Sheppard subway, relief line, and Scarborough extension as their priorities. They also promised to spend $160 million a year on subway maintenance.

According to the TTC, the agency has budgeted $555 million for subway maintenance this year alone. The entire network, including trains, is valued at $3.9 billion.

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