Fight's on for TTC's future
City council debates just who will sit on the transit commission
Councillors are once again waging war over transit matters, this time over who should take control of the Toronto Transit Commission.
As a two-day council meeting got underway, the matter of TTC governance became the dominant issue, with councillors agreeing to bump the item to top of the agenda.
Prolonged political bickering over transit projects precipitated the call for a shakeup of the nine-councillor commission.
Most agree the beleaguered commission is on unstable footing and in need of renewed structure. The call for restructuring comes ahead of a March 21 meeting in which council will vote on a plan for the future of transit along Sheppard. The mayor and his allies on council are calling for a subway plan, while those in opposition say the city must use funding to build light rail.
The motions on the table so far include:
• An 11-member commission made up of seven councillors and four civilian members (moved by TTC chair Karen Stintz)
• An 11-member, all-civilian commission (moved by Councillor Michael Thompson)
• City manager Joe Pennachetti’s recommendation is that the commission remain at nine-members with four councillors and five citizen appointees (moved by Councillor Doug Holyday)
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