Doug Ford says he would make the construction of a downtown relief line his first priority in an apparent shift from the transit building hierarchy preferred by his mayor brother.

Rob Ford has previously said that he would extend the subway line along Sheppard Avenue and build a new underground line along Finch Avenue before beginning work on the downtown relief line, but on Thursday Doug Ford broke from that plan, telling reporters at his campaign headquarters that he would build the downtown relief first, then extend both the Sheppard subway and the under construction Eglinton Crosstown LRT line into Scarborough.

“This term alone we can get the funding in place and all the permits we need in place and we can start immediately after we get that,” Ford said. “Once we have shovels in the ground you don’t pull the boring machines out; you continue to tunnel non-stop.”

The TTC has previously identified the downtown relief line as its number one priority due to overcrowding on the Yonge subway line.

Under Ford’s subway plan, which promises 32 kilometres of new underground transit across the city, the line would be built in two phases with the first phase connecting Pape and Queen stations.

The estimated cost of the project is $3.2 billion.

Speaking with reporters, Ford said he believes that he can get the downtown relief line “through council immediately.”

The mayoral candidate said he would pay for the line through nine previously announced revenue tools, including profits from Build Toronto, a greater partnership with the private sector and the sale of air rights above new subway stations.

“Right now we have subways across the city that have no development on top of them. It is the most ridiculous thing I have ever seen,” he said. “If you have a subway (station) you increase the value by selling of the air rights, building a condo on top, putting commercial on the second floor.”

Doug Ford has borrowed most of the platform that his brother was running on prior to dropping out of the race and his prioritization of the downtown relief marks perhaps his biggest break from the mayor to date.

Asked about the shift as he paid a rare visit to his city hall office on Thursday afternoon, Rob Ford admitted to being “caught off guard” but said he is sure his brother has a “reason.”

“I always said I want Sheppard and then the downtown relief line but we are not going to agree on every single thing. If Doug has gone and said something else he must have a reason for it,” Ford said. “As long as we are talking about underground and are not building above ground transit.”

Tory puts up signs

Earlier on Thursday, rival candidate John Tory rolled up his sleeves to hammer a sign into the Etobicoke lawn of a former Liberal Member of Provincial Parliament as the period for campaign signs officially began.

Municipal election candidates were allowed to begin posting signs across the city at the stroke of midnight and most took advantage. Ford was seen installing signs in The Westway and Islington Avenue area under the cover of darkness, telling reporters that his "heart is beating" and he "could go all night" while volunteers for Olivia Chow were spotted putting up signs nearby on Royal York Road at around the same time.

Tory, meanwhile, waited until Thursday morning to get involved himself, travelling to the home of former Etobicoke Centre MPP and cabinet minister Donna Casfield to accept her endorsement and put up his first sign. Tory was the leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party when Casfield was the Minister of Transportation under former Premier Dalton McGuinty.

“It is very gratifying to receive the endorsement of Liberals because what we have been trying to do in this campaign is to start the process of bringing one Toronto together and to focus on getting results, so I am gratified that there are Liberals, Conservatives and New Democrats supporting my candidacy,” Tory told reporters. “We have put together a team that goes across party lines to focus on the question of positive leadership that will produce results on transit, taxes and jobs.”

Campaign signs must be no larger than 1.2 square metres and cannot be placed above ground level when on public property, according to City of Toronto election rules.

Campaign staff and volunteers must remove all signs within 72 hours of the conclusion of voting on Oct. 27.

Elsewhere on the campaign trail today, Chow is expected to participate in a mayoral debate hosted by the Regal Heights Village Business Improvement Area and three residents associations at Oakwood Collegiate Auditorium. It is not known if Tory or Ford will attend.

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