News / City Hall

Mississauga wants LRT and is counting on Kathleen Wynne to deliver

Mayor Hazel McCallion says Ontario owes it to the city to fork over $1.5 billion for the Hurontario project.

By: San Grewal News reporter, Published on Wed Jan 30 2013

Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion says the only thing that can stop a proposed $1.5 billion LRT through her city is politics. City councillors, meanwhile, are already counting on Kathleen Wynnes support to fund the plan. Thats the only thing that could change our project being a priority politics. And I cant control that, McCallion told councillors at Wednesdays meeting, where staff presented an update on the implications of Metrolinxs Big Move plan for Mississauga. McCallion, one of the most prominent (and influential) political figures in Canada, threw her support behind Wynne at this weeks Liberal leadership convention. It appears that, like her predecessor Dalton McGuinty, Wynne listens intently when McCallion speaks. The premier designate has stated that McCallions repeated emphasis on relieving gridlock throughout the GTA has hit home. Now, Mississauga wants to make sure it gets its fair share of traffic relief. McCallion, who used to help McGuinty secure Liberal seats in the regions outside Toronto, repeated a recent theme of hers Wednesday: That Toronto better not get in the way of her citys proposed LRT. Metrolinx was held up for two years because Toronto wanted the majority vote two years. Now, the projects that will move are a priority, not political. She warned of politics getting in the way of whats really needed. The Ministry of Transportation and the Mayor of Toronto (Mel Lastman) decided they could build a subway

that went nowhere, she said of Torontos $900 million Sheppard line, which has been widely maligned for its low ridership. McCallion and councillors focused on the Hurontario LRT, which would run up the citys spine. Its one of the major projects planned for the second wave of Metrolinxs plan, but has yet to receive any allocated funds. Where the $1.5 billion will come from is a mystery that has some councillors feeling anxious. Reading from a list of funding options in a Metrolinx package just received by council members, Bonnie Crombie said shes glad the province is looking at alternatives: Congestion charge, land transfer tax, tolls the new premier designate has tipped her hat that shes interested in these new revenue tools. But Metrolinx has not determined which of those tools and other potential revenue sources will help unfunded projects such as Mississaugas LRT, which McCallion said last week has to be funded 100 per cent by the province. Even city manager Janice Baker expressed her concerns, given the provinces well-known financial challenges. The issue now is, can we get the money?