Olivia Chow is accusing John Tory of failing to do “his homework” on his SmartTrack transit proposal as an advertising campaign to tout the benefits of the plan officially hits the airwaves.
Chow held a press conference at a residential construction site at the corner of Eglinton Avenue West and Widdicombe Hill Boulevard Tuesday morning to demand answers from Tory on how he would run 12 kilometres of light-rail track through the area in order to connect the Mount Dennis neighbourhood of Etobicoke with the Airport Corporate Centre in Mississauga, as a previously released route map calls for.
“No engineering studies are going to be able to put a line behind me. There are homes. How could you possibly put heavy rail right through someone’s home? How is that possible?” Chow asked. “We are surrounded by four condominium complexes. Is he going to build it right on top of the condominiums? Under the condominiums? Will he build it on the road? I believe the voters deserve the right to know the answer.”
Tory’s Smart Track proposal primarily relies on the use of existing GO Transit track, however about 10 per cent of the 53-kilometre, 22-station route would have to be built along Eglinton Avenue.
In a press release issued Tuesday morning, Tory called Chow’s press conference “a desperate stunt” to “resuscitate her failing campaign.”
Tory then told CP24 that he would bury the line underground where there is no room for it above ground.
“The fact is there may have to be some tunneling. She says 12 kilometres, but most of it can be done on the right-of-way without going anywhere near the streets,” Tory said. “She is just being disingenuous because it suits her purposes.”
Meanwhile at city hall early Tuesday afternoon, Mayor Rob Ford accused Tory of having a secret agenda to reduce the lanes of traffic along Eglinton Avenue to make way for the new track.
Tory, however, has repeatedly said that his plan would not require any lane reductions.
“The people of Etobicoke do not want Eglinton ripped up,” Ford said. “They know where I stand on the subways, they know that I won’t be able to build them for years to come and they understand that.”
Ad blitz
Chow’s press conference was held hours after Tory officially launched a campaign to convince voters of the benefits of SmartTrack.
The campaign includes a television advertisement, which calls SmartTrack the line that would “move the most people in the shortest amount of time,” and a website that allows visitors to determine how long their commute would be if the $8 billion plan were to become reality.
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