Gone are the posters around Vaughan calling for the province to make good on its promise.
VAUGHAN, Ontario — Saucy transit issues have been drawing headlines south of Steeles recently, but anyone still following transit issues further north will notice something: the Yonge subway extension that tickled the imagination of Vaughan residents when the province declared it a “top transit priority” in 2008 is only incrementally closer to reality in 2010.
The study to merely examine the feasibility of the project, originally due to be completed in 2009, is only expected at the end of this year. Locked in battle with the province over funding for his own Transit City plan, Toronto Mayor David Miller recently felt comfortable enough to state the Yonge extension was not a project he could see happening in his lifetime.
“You’re talking billions and billions and billions of dollars and it’s not the right solution for long-distance travel,” Miller said at an editorial board with Vaughan Today and its partners. “I don’t believe, as a knowledgeable transit advocate, that the Yonge subway extension is going to happen, not in this context.”
On a recent stop at the Promenade Bus Terminal, Transportation Minister Kathleen Wynne made few promises about the plan.
“We know it’s very much on the agenda. It’s something that York Region is interested in and it’s something that needs to happen. Can I tell you exactly when and how much money and when we’re going to do it? I can’t give you that information, but it’s something we continue to talk about,” Wynne said in true politician style.
For now, talk may be as good as it gets. Sensing a change in the weather when it comes to funding transit projects in Ontario, Vaughan city council recently tabled a motion seeking support from all levels of government “to investigate alternative funding models” for the subway project. In other words, no one expects the province to be kicking in the cash any time soon.
It’s no secret that the mayor of Toronto is not a fan of the plan and it will surprise few that the wheels of bureaucracy turn slowly, especially the wheels of several bureaucracies, as is required for the subway extension project.
But there’s another group that seems conspicuously absent from the scene when it comes to this crucial transit project for the region: the citizenry. Gone are the posters around Vaughan restaurants calling for the provincial government to make good on its promises, absent are the protesters at Transportation Minister Kathleen Wynne’s office, and gone even is the website of the once-visible group called “Yonge Subway Now.”
An informal survey of transit users at the Promenade Bus Terminal reveals some people are not even aware there’s a plan to try and build a subway, never mind concerned about how late it is. One might justifiably ask: Who cares about this project?
“People have lost sight of how important this project is,” says Ward 5 Councillor Alan Shefman, who concedes the subway extension has lately fallen out of the public eye.
But although citizens may not be taking up picket signs to voice their displeasure about the project being shoved to the backburner, it doesn’t mean they don’t care, says Shefman.
“One of the most common questions I get as a councillor is ‘what’s happening with the Yonge Street subway?’”
Other Vaughan councillors report similar interest in the project, if not actual involvement.
“There’s a huge will (for the project),” says Ward 4 Councillor Sandra Yeung Racco. “I don’t believe there’s enough engagement. The people along Yonge know about it, but certainly we need more engagement about it.”
She points to the possibility that some businesses along the path of the new subway may have been shaken after witnessing the fiasco with the St. Clair right-of-way construction. Although they haven’t voiced opposition to the project, they may not be sure whether or not to get behind it.
Despite the lack of overt support, some maintain that citizens merely won’t speak up until they feel they’re about to be hurt in some way.
“Although some transit or development initiatives tend to attract people in support of it, you usually hear the biggest outcry when there’s something going in that people don’t want,” says Brian Shifman, executive director of Smart Commute North Toronto-Vaughan, an organization that encourages people to make use of smarter transit options. “What people need is a sign that there’s a real initiative.”
He adds that his company’s survey data consistently shows people are interested in affordable and efficient transit options.
If it’s a sign citizens need to push them to be engaged, they may soon get one. Convinced that the province is no longer on-board (“It’s almost silliness to think the province is going to fund this project right now,” says Shefman), Yonge Subway Now — now called Yonge Subway North Committee —has recently been revived. Although the group originally formed in order to oppose the idea of implementing bus lanes instead of a subway, it was dormant until this past March when members began holding meetings again, says Shefman, who is involved along with Markham councillor Valerie Burke.
Shefman stresses that although the group is still working on its organizational structure, it is a grassroots initiative that shows the community cares about the subway project.
“Essentially it’s being organized by members of the community… We’ve got probably 25 people who are gung-ho at this point,” says Shefman. He says the group will push for alternative funding options, such as lobbying the federal government or exploring mixed public-private options. Although he concedes the grassroots effort still has lots of work ahead, such as figuring out an organizational structure and getting the website up and running to replace the current group email mode of communication, Shefman is optimistic.
“We’re going to be going public shortly … We will be making this a significant issue over the next number of months. We want to get people focused on transit again,” he says.
One can only hope that those who care about the fate of the Yonge subway extension will join in once they get the chance. Because unfortunately, sometimes will alone just isn’t enough to get your way.
P & G Travel LIMITED TIME SPECIAL - ITALY CAR RENTAL FROM $36/DAY all inclusive, plus airline tickets and hotels. Call a P & G Travel specialist for full details.
