Proving yet again that Torontonians are smarter than the leaders they elect, a majority of residents believe the Downtown Relief Line is more important than extending the Scarborough subway.

A poll released this week found that 61 per cent of Torontonians favour the former over the latter. Still, Mayor John Tory (open John Tory's policard) and Premier Kathleen Wynne remain insistent that the Scarborough line is a done deal. The decision has been made, they argue, and that’s that.

Despite the overwhelming weight of evidence against building a subway where no demand exists, the two leaders have given in to the crass demands of political expediency.

In so doing, however, Tory and Wynne have confirmed our worst fears that even issues as critical and expensive as transit are now no more than vote-getting exercises. The means are more important than the end. Both leaders are smart enough to know their commitment to the Scarborough line is indefensible, irresponsible and even immoral, but carry on anyway. But the proposed subway, which can never pay its way, will beggar a chronically underfunded transit system already unable to keep up with demand. Their choices will impoverish the city and province for decades without enhancing mobility in any significant way.

Yet they say they have no choice. In other words, our inability to decide has reached a point where the mere fact of a decision is more important than the decision itself.

This does not bode well for the future of either Toronto or Ontario. At a time of economic uncertainty and environmental crisis, jurisdictions are under increasing pressure to think nimbly, act quickly and generally be smart. We simply can’t afford dumb decisions like the $3-billion Scarborough subway. That’s why the debacle is an acknowledgment of political failure and collective cowardice.

It’s the opposite of the gas-fired power plants then-premier Dalton McGuinty cancelled in 2011; then, the provincial Liberals chose not to do the right thing to gain a few votes. This time, they chose to do the wrong thing to gain a few votes. The mayor’s role is that of enabler. In the years ahead, when the full extent of the fiasco becomes clear, the city will be able blame the province; the province will blame the city.

The suggestion that Scarborough “deserves” a subway is nothing more than cheap political rhetoric. But for a reluctant partner of the amalgamated city, one with a serious inferiority complex, the idea has a certain appeal. And who could forget former mayor Rob Ford (open Rob Ford's policard)’s accusation that downtown gets all the transit?

This is nonsense, but it resonates in Scarborough.

Of course, polls such as this perpetuate the idea that decision-making is a popularity contest. Asking people whether a subway is better than light rail transit is less than useful. Though we live in an age that distrusts “experts,” surely some knowledge is better than none?

Regardless, the chasm that has opened up between political priorities and the objective needs of communities is cause for concern. Even under the best conditions, Toronto and Ontario will have a hard time remaining competitive in a world growing ever more urban. But with local leadership as weak as it is, the future fades into darkness.

“It’s a done deal politically for Tory and Wynne,” says Lorne Bozinoff, president of the Forum polling firm. “Even if they don’t like it, they’ve got to go with it now.”

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But surely the point of the poll is precisely that they don’t? The politicians are frightened, but not the voters. They know better.