The City’s 12-member Executive Committee plus Mayor Tory voted Wednesday evening to accept a staff recommendation not to pursue a world’s fair. The decision came amid a stark divide in opinion among the Committee and a roster of some 40 speakers from a body supporting an Expo bid. The best-guess estimate of Toronto’s on-the-hook cost to proceed with the bid is nearly two billion dollars. Deputy Mayor Denzil Minnan-Wong moved the motion that the committee adopt the conclusion of senior city staff that the risk of hosting Expo 2025 outweighed potential benefits.
CANYON BETWEEN SIDES
His remarks crystallized the canyon that exists between those who would be required to approve such an expenditure and those who dream of the opportunity to spend it. “We can’t afford to get this wrong, the cost escalation could be huge,” Minnan-Wong said. “If you were to ask any residents if your choice was to build more transit or to have a world’s fair, which would you choose? I think the choice would be pretty obvious to the public, they would choose more transit.” The final decision lies with city council next month. Mayor John Tory said he cannot support a bidding process when other levels of government have given no indication they’re prepared to write cheques to support the fair.
