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“How do you pay for that?” he asked Tuesday morning, as council prepared to debate the subway plan, which is the mayor’s key item, meaning it will get dealt with first at the days-long meeting.

“The province has given you money, the federal government has given you money; you’ve only got one place left to go, which is the property-tax payer… I think this is a vote-buying exercise and the facts aren’t in the report.”

Mr. Minnan-Wong’s comments come a day after Mayor Rob Ford said he would not be willing to support a property-tax hike of more than 0.25% annually to fund the Scarborough subway, which would replace the planned LRT. A report from city manager Joe Pennachetti recommends a minimum tax increase of 0.5% in 2014 “to ensure that the appropriate funding is in place.”

The mayor recently met with Ontario Transportation Minister Glen Murray and federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty to shore up support for the subway project, but neither level of government has made a specific dollar commitment.

Provincial transit agency Metrolinx says it will cease work on the Scarborough LRT, which has already cost $85-million, if council fails to confirm its support for the light-rail project.

Speaking to reporters Tuesday, Councillor Doug Ford remained optimistic about the subway plan.

Because no-one was bold enough to step up and start the darn thing, it’s never happened. Well, now we have the opportunity to do it, and I’m supportive of it

“We have skin in the game, and the province and the feds are coming together,” he said. “That shows true leadership; the mayor’s been able to pull all three parties together and start building subways.”