Toronto city Coun. Doug Ford is floating the idea of a lottery to pay for a Sheppard subway extension, according to reports.
As the debate over transit expansion continues to simmer at city hall, Ford is eyeing unconventional methods of financing, including a casino or a lottery.
"Why is the province not just giving us a lottery? What's so hard about it?" Doug Ford, the brother of Mayor Rob Ford, was quoted in the National Post.
The councillor claims the Ford administration is discussing the possibility of a lottery with Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp., but the OLG's chairman told the newspaper no one has discussed the idea with him.
"The idea is not very practical as far as we're concerned," Paul Godfrey told the newspaper. "If we did a special purpose lottery for Toronto, how long do you think the line is going to be of municipalities across Ontario that would ask for similar things for swimming pools or skating rinks?"
Godfrey told the National Post "this is a project that has no chance of being successful at all."
The Fords continue to look for ways to fund a subway extension along Sheppard Avenue East after the mayor's plan for underground routes was rejected by city council last month.
With financial backing from the province, council voted in favour of building above-ground light rail on Finch Avenue and an Eglinton Avenue light rail route that will be partially above ground.
The city is still exploring how to proceed with expansion along Sheppard Avenue, be it with a surface or underground route.
Council will meet March 21 to decide what kind of transit to build.
