On the eve of a city council showdown, politicians on both sides of the transit divide failed to reach a compromise that would have allowed the city to speak with one voice to the province about how Toronto wants to build transit in the future.

Councillors spent much of Tuesday discussing possible alternatives to the two competing transit plans, including possibly deferring a decision about how to build transit on Sheppard to a blue-ribbon panel that could include a Metrolinx representative.

Mayor Rob Ford was unwilling, however, to compromise on bringing the Eglinton LRT above ground east of Laird Dr., council sources told the Star. He wants all of the $8.4 billion in provincial funding to be applied to building Eglinton underground except for a small section at the Don Valley.

That, however, costs about $2 billion more than is necessary, said TTC chair Karen Stintz. She wants a shorter tunnel so that savings can be applied to transit elsewhere in the city.

She is supporting a return to a light rail plan that would see the Eglinton-Scarborough Crosstown LRT tunnelled between Black Creek Dr. and Laird Dr., but continued above ground the remaining stretch to Kennedy Station.

That scenario, which also includes surface LRT on Finch and Sheppard, is contained in a binding agreement signed by the city, the TTC and Metrolinx prior to Ford’s election as mayor.

Wednesday’s vote was expected to be very close with a narrow majority of 24 out of 43 councillors supporting Stintz’s petition for the rare special meeting.

Councillor Norm Kelly, who also sits on the TTC board, said it’s provincial money and the province should start digging Eglinton east even if council supports Stintz.

“I would be severely disappointed if council made that decision,” said Kelly (Ward 40 Scarborough Agincourt). “You could go and say that councillors who support the surface plan are ignoring the will of the residents of Toronto as expressed in the last election.” Building subways was a key plank in the mayor’s election platform.

Kelly suggested he and fellow Ford allies, who hold a majority of seats on the TTC board, could hold their own vote on Toronto’s transit future. But one of those allies, Councillor Denzil Minnan-Wong (Ward 34 Don Valley East), said he would honour the will of council. He remains convinced that underground transit is the best option, but welcomes hearing pros and cons at Wednesday’s debate.

Provincial agency Metrolinx has repeatedly said it is willing to work with the city on either plan. But on Tuesday, Ontario Transportation Minister Bob Chiarelli said it was time for the mayor and council to get their act together.

“I don’t want to give an answer that condemns everyone on city council . . . but it certainly would have been better to have a decision a little bit sooner than now,” he told reporters at Queen’s Park. “Certainly it would have been better to have a decision that’s not so fraught with very guttural municipal politics between councillors and the mayor and the mayor’s office.”

Stintz believes Metrolinx indicated it will act on the will of council in a letter addressed to herself and Mayor Ford last week.

“It was addressed to the chair of the TTC and it was in that capacity that I asked for the meeting,” she said.

But she is aware that her position on the TTC is tenuous as the Ford allies who dominate the transit board could muster enough votes to call a special meeting and vote her off.

What happens if she loses in the showdown with the mayor?

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

“Nothing,” said Stintz. “At least council’s decided.”

With files from Rob Ferguson

Read more about: