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Mayor Rob Ford has opened a new front in Toronto’s transit wars, putting completion of the Sheppard subway — perhaps with the help of new federal infrastructure dollars — ahead of a Downtown Relief Line championed by TTC chair Karen Stintz.

His case was immediately shut down by Metrolinx, the regional agency that has plans to build a light rail line along Sheppard. “We have a plan. Shovels are in the ground,” a spokeswoman said in a statement.

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In a press conference on Friday, Mayor Ford cited various city infrastructure projects he hopes are aided by the new Building Canada plan, which has earmarked $47-billion in funding across the country over a decade starting in 2014.

“Transit is obviously a priority, but that is not the only priority,” said Mayor Ford, listing the condition of roads, the crumbling Gardiner Expressway and a $1.6-billion backlog in water-related projects as other needs. “Even more important than transportation is clean water,” he noted.