As Josh Matlow (Ward 22) campaigns for a delay on a decision to build the Scarborough subway, there is a move to get next-door city councillor John Parker (Ward 26) to support the move. Residents of Leaside are being asked to write to Mr. Parker urging him to do this. The local effort is being aided, it would appear, by Geoff Kettel, well-known in the community, who has sent a general e-mail marked “URGENT TO ACT: Ask Councillor Parker to support Councillor Josh Matlow who wants to put Scarborough subway on hold — along with the tax hike.”
JOHN PARKER’S REPLY TO GEOFF KETTEL
I have favoured the LRT option from the start, and have voted accordingly at every turn in the debate.
The difficult thing is that Council has now spoken. Our side lost. The other two levels of government have also endorsed the subway option, and have committed funding to it. Undoing the existing plan will be a complicated task. The issue goes well beyond the vote on the 2014 City of Toronto budget. Notwithstanding that, yesterday at Council I tried to have the vote on the subway tax split from the vote on the other contributors to the overall tax rate. My side came up short on that as well. Council then voted on one all-in tax rate, including the subway tax. I voted in the negative, again as a reflection of my disapproval of the subway expense. I voted in the negative even though, the subway tax aside, I had no quarrel with the actual tax rate being proposed. Again, my vote was in the minority. We will get into the detailed voting on particular budget items today. My vote on each item will depend on the form in which each particular proposition is framed when it finally reaches the voting stage. As you know, various proposals have a way of being bundled together, and things can therefore become complicated. Be assured I will none the less seek every practical opportunity to confirm my disapproval of the subway expansion proposal. Which I have done consistently as a member of Council and as a member of the TTC every time the matter has come before me. All of that having been said, you will understand that bringing about a change in policy will take more than one more vote from me at Council confirming my disapproval of the subway extension. It will take a new attitude by Council and – to be candid – some backbone at Queen’s Park. Which is where you might want to try to bring some immediate influence to bear if the goal is to bring about a change of policy concerning the SRT replacement proposal.
