What’s the Wynne Brand all about? If you want a sneak preview you’ll have to sneak into a special seminar for Liberal delegates in Toronto this weekend.

“Communicating the Wynne Brand” is a closed-door session at the biggest Liberal convention since Kathleen Wynne persuaded the party to make her premier 14 months ago. It may also be their last chance to compare notes before an expected spring election.

A year ago, Wynne’s brand seemed clearer: The new premier promised new transit by any means necessary — tolls, taxes and tenacity — while making minority government work.

But raising taxes to pay for transit was bitterly opposed by the opposition. And broadly opposed by the public in every opinion poll.

It wasn’t working. That’s why, ahead of her Liberal convention reunion, Wynne has renounced her past positions by ruling out tolls or any increases in the gas tax or harmonized sales tax (HST).

After a year of consultations and calculations — two government-commissioned reports tried to find $2 billion a year to pay for new transit construction — we seem no further ahead. All talk of tolls and taxes was quickly dialed down to “revenue tools,” then downplayed as “revenue streams” and now we are deadlocked on gridlock.

The Tories and New Democrats have joined hands to block Wynne’s way by tapping into public fears of taxes or tolls. NDP Leader Andrea Horwath has threatened to topple the minority Liberal government if they targeted middle-class voters.

By ruling out those tax hikes, Wynne has seemingly removed a reason for the NDP to trigger a spring election. But looked at another way, Wynne has cleared the decks for a possible campaign by sparing herself the burden of fighting a losing battle for tax increases.

As her close campaign advisers keep reminding Wynne, no politician in recent memory has won an election by promising higher taxes. That’s why the NDP may have done Wynne a political favour by forcing a retreat from tax hikes she couldn’t sell.

Never mind that Wynne has disingenuously blamed the opposition for making “mischief” by warning of new taxes. In truth, all the talk of new taxes, “tools” and “streams” emanated from Wynne herself.

But back to branding.

We now know what Wynne isn’t for. Well, what is she for?

What’s her new stand — or brand — on transit? Not even Liberal delegates know for sure, which is why the weekend seminars on branding may be standing room only.

Here’s a hint of what to expect in the spring budget: Instead of a new gas tax, watch for Wynne to target a portion of the existing provincial gas tax (which now flows into general revenues) and reallocate it to transit and infrastructure spending. The idea is to “reprofile” part of that gas tax into a dedicated “revenue stream” earmarked for transit.

Bankrolling the Big Move (a $40-billion mass transit blueprint for the next two decades) requires $2 billion a year in funding or borrowing. But not all the funding is needed upfront, so rather than snapping her fingers (or wagging a finger) to summon up the money from thin air, Wynne’s plan is to buy time by dodging, delaying and deferring as long as possible.

This is not just an evasive manoeuvre but a way to buy time: Rather than get out too far in front of transit projects that take years to materialize, better to wait for real-time funding (facilitated by borrowing) so that people can see concrete results before being asked to cough up more money in advance.

Still, if gas taxes are to be reallocated to transit, the money earmarked from general revenues must be made up elsewhere. That’s why the government is looking at other targeted taxes that don’t hit the middle class, such as a broader income surtax for people earning somewhere above $150,000 a year.

Is this just an elaborate shell game? It certainly comes across as a creative accounting exercise — robbing Peter to pay Paul and borrow money and build transit with a dedicated revenue stream.

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

It’s a roundabout way to rebrand herself. It may yet add up, in both fiscal and political terms.

But it’s complex. And it makes for a complicated branding exercise.

Martin Regg Cohn’s provincial affairs column appears Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. mcohn@thestar.ca , Twitter: @reggcohn

Read more about: