cross-posted from Spacing Votes by Zach Slootsky
Why can’t Toronto find someone with the guts to stand up for transit? This is the question that former TTC boss, Rick Ducharme, is asking in today’s Toronto Star.
Wanted: One politician with a vision for a regionwide transit network, the ability to procure the funding to make it happen and the guts to back the plan when the going gets tough.
The job vacancy in the Greater Toronto Area has been around for years. Toronto Mayor David Miller and Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion have talked good games, but never quite filled the role.
Former TTC boss Rick Ducharme doubts the job will ever be filled.
“You’ve got to have a politician that really believes in transit and is going to put his whole heart into it,” says Ducharme, pointing to London Mayor Ken Livingstone and his controversial downtown congestion fee as an example.
“Basically, he put his job on the line with what was tried there. It was successful. That’s gutsy moves. I don’t see that here at any level.”
This is coming from someone who knows a thing or two about the urban transit problem we are facing. Ducharme has over 30 years behind him in the transit business. He joined the Ministry of Transportation in 1972, became Go Transit’s transit coordinator four years later, eventually becoming managing director and in 1999 became the TTC’s general manager. He resigned this June citing “political interference.” This is someone who cares for transit and has dedicated his whole life to it.
“We can talk about plans, we can talk about co-ordination. You can talk about smart cards. All that to me is irrelevant. You need big investments. That stopped over 20 years ago. I don’t really see any political visionary that really would take on the fight to do it.”
Let’s hope he’s wrong.
Photo by Michael’s Way
5 comments
Why doesn’t Rick run?
I was about to say exactly the same thing.
I’ll do it!
But I’ll need to work on those political connections…
The Star mentions “Toronto Mayor David Miller and Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion” as never quite filling the role, but personally, I don’t think that the politician that can do all that is a municipal level politician. Both the money to fund investments and the power to cross regional boundaries lies with Queen’s Park.
We need a provincial politician who wants to see transit in the GTA. We need a new Bill Davis.
Halton Region Doesn’t Follow it’s Own Higher Density models so No Full Service GO so don’t Think Burlington Mayor the Be All & End All Soution for 905 area code.
We Have Winesses to this Event for Follow Up if U Like
Hi,
Growing up in Halton Hills we had the Dominion Seed House Farm property in the middle of Georgetown.
a Short Walk away is the Go Train Service which only goes into the City in the Morning & Out of TO at nite.
When the Harding family wanted to Sell the property,Halton Region was having meetings about the Need for Regional Nodes like what Oakville is trying to do around their Go station but Oakville already has ALL day go Train Service, so many from the North in Halton Region drive to Oakville to access Downtown TO.
Unfortunately, Halton Region didn’t stand behind Their Own Words, which included the Mayor of Burlington.
HighRise Towers were the perfect solution on the property as the property is surrounded by Regional arterial Roads & a Cemetary on one side so probably there would have been No OMB Challenge either.
We then would have had enough volume of people for All Day Go Service. As an elected rural member of the local Halton Hills Council of the day then, when I raised this issue during rezonings for the property, the then Mayor Marilyn Sargenson got up along with the then Regional Councillor Rick Bonnette now the Mayor & an endorser of Brent Marshall running for Halton Regional Chair this Year, a Councillor Norm Elliott from Acton left the Council Chambers, thereby adjouring the meeting due to lack of Quorum. The local Cable TV channel people were recording & the local Metroland Newspaper was there but No newstory was ever released to the Community. I have two witness’s you can Call to comfirm what happened that night as the Town Clerk may have Never recorded the incident . What is there now is low medium density & NOT the New Fire Hall which was supposed to built on this Site as a Central Site to Service the Community.
We’ve Lost the Only direct Green opportunity for residents to NOT have to drive to the Go Station etc.
This also has taken away the Go Train Service numbers that would have helped Keep the Acton Go Train Service that used to run to Guelph that I helped bring into the Community with MPP Ed Phillips.
Thank You
Robert Heaton