Mayor Rob Ford says there is absolutely no way he will support the OneCity transit expansion plan, which would see property owners pay higher taxes so as to build six subway lines, 10 LRT routes and more bus and streetcar lines throughout Toronto.

“The taxpayers cannot afford it. That’s the bottom line… I can guarantee I will not support it,” Ford told reporters Wednesday.

“You can’t always go to the taxpayers for everything, and that’s what it seems this plan looks for. There is a private sector that can get involved.”

Councillor Doug Ford added the administration has worked hard to reduce spending and keep taxes low and the OneCity plan is really a “TaxCity plan.”

“It’s going to be a tax on every business in the city. It’s going to be a tax on every renter in the city. It’s going to be a tax on every resident of this city,” he said.

The path forward for the OneCity transit vision is a daunting minefield of political hurdles, legislative obstacles and old grudges. TTC chair Karen Stintz was booted from Ford’s inner circle earlier this year after she tried to reach a compromise on the Sheppard subway debate.

The right never forgave her. The left can’t fully embrace her fiscally conservative ideology. Meanwhile, there is a power struggle among some for the job of unofficial Leader of Ford Opposition.

In that context, reaction from both the left, right and middle at city hall was mixed. Most councillors felt the $30 billion plan was positive in that the city needs to have a conversation about how to pay for transit, but most also felt there were serious flaws with the details.

STRAW POLL: How council may vote

“I like Karen’s map, but I like Hazel’s math,” said Councillor Shelley Carroll, a Ford opponent, referring to the fact Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion has been advocating for a regional sales tax to pay for expansion.

Said right-winger Gary Crawford: “It has some merit. It meets some of my needs in terms of dedicated funding and subways in Scarborough … but I have questions. There are hurdles.”

Opposition councillor Gord Perks said OneCity isn’t a plan, it’s a conversation.

“It’s a good start (but) I think the funding plan is unrealistic. Queen’s Park will have to pass new legislation. I don’t think it’s possible.”

The OneCity vision — crafted by Stintz, TTC vice-chair Glenn De Baeremaeker, longtime transit advocate Councillor Joe Mihevc, and the de facto leader of the mushy middle, Councillor Josh Colle — would have the average Toronto household paying about $180 a year once the plan is fully phased in. This would generate about $272 million in annual revenue. Stintz’s team hopes other levels of government would then match those funds.

Ontario Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Bob Chiarelli was noncommittal.

“They are asking for an additional $10 billion from the provincial government. That’s over and above the $8.4 billion that we’ve already started to work on,” he said Wednesday, referring to the LRT expansion on Eglinton, Finch and Sheppard.

Furthermore, “it requires legislation. They’re asking the province to amend legislation to enable them to raise … property taxes, so those are all very big items that have to be dealt with and they’re not going to happen, they’re not going to be agreed to, overnight, that’s for sure.”

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When asked for comment on OneCity, a spokesperson for federal Transport Minister Denis Lebel told the Star that since 2006, the Conservative government has invested $1.8 billion in transit infrastructure in Toronto.

Future infrastructure investment “will focus on investments that generate the best value for taxpayers. Our actions continue to provide our cities with the predictable, long-term infrastructure funding that they need.”

With files from David Rider, Robert Benzie and Bruce Campion-Smith

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