Article content continued

“Property taxpayers are not going to face any increases as a result of this,” Mr. Tory insisted on Metro Morning. “I guarantee property taxpayers will not have to pay an incremental amount because of SmartTrack.”

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or

He said he has no doubt that the provincial government will help fund SmartTrack, since the Liberals campaigned on electrifying the GO corridor during the election, and he has confidence he can bring the Conservative federal government onside, since it will be going into an election of its own next year and looking to win over voters.

“We could sit here and have what if discussions on a negative basis,” he said. “What I’m telling you is, I have the determination to go to those governments, I have the relationships with both of those governments to go and get that money.

And how they’re going to turn down — I’ll tell you, they’ll be hell to pay for those governments if I’m the mayor of Toronto and they start saying they’re not [paying].”

Heading in to a lunch debate at The National Club on Bay Street, Olivia Chow chastised Mr. Tory for using “threats” as a negotiating tactic.

“I believe we should say, hey, let’s do this together because it’s good for our city. We need transit now. So appeal to the common good is how I would normally go ahead, rather than right off bat say there will be hell to pay,” she said. “Not my style.”

Mr. Tory, on his way into that same debate, said he was merely stating that he was going to “stand up for Toronto” when it came to funding from upper levels of government.

“Will there be things that get altered or that have to be discussed at length in order to make them happen, of course. But the bottom line is it’s going to happen because it has to happen,” he said.