Road tolls, an employer payroll tax and GPS-tracked mileage fees for motorists are among the tools the province could use to fund a $50-billion plan to improve transit in the greater Toronto and Hamilton area, the president and CEO of Metrolinx says.
During a news conference held Tuesday morning, Bruce McCuaig presented a list of 11 ideas to help generate the needed revenue to complete “The Big Move” by 2032.
The ideas, which were whittled down from a larger list of 25 prepared by KPMG, include previously discussed initiatives such as development charges, a dedicated sales tax and the introduction of road tolls and parking space levy’s as well as some unconventional ideas, such as a plan to charge motorists for every kilometer they travel in the region and a new tax that would be charged to employers on the basis of the size of their workforce.
“These ideas really become the focus for our discussions with the public, municipalities and stakeholders going forward,” McCuaig told reporters. “We are looking at engaging municipalities and stakeholders through a variety of meetings over the next 60 days and are inviting the public to give their input.”
The Big Move, which was announced in 2007, aims to create an integrated regional transportation network from Hamilton to Durham Region.
Some elements of the plan include the Yonge subway extension into York Region, new rapid transit in Mississauga, Brampton and Hamilton, the construction of a downtown relief subway line and major changes to the GO Transit rail network.
Speaking with reporters Tuesday, McCuaig said it is important that everyone helps to pay for the plan since it will ultimately benefit residents throughout the region.
McCuaig said non-transit users may not be thrilled to chip in for systems they don't use, but he said the projects will benefit them because they will reduce congestion on the roads.
“We all benefit from investments in our transit and transportation infrastructure,” McCuaig said. “In fact, a majority of the people who use the transportation system use both transit and the road based system, so even if you don’t use it (public transit) every day; you are using the system.”
So far about $16 billion in transit expansion outlined in the plan has been funded by the provincial and federal government.
The transit agency is expected to present its full funding strategy to the province in June.
In order to complete "The Big Move" by 2032, Metrolinx will need to generate about $2 billion in additional revenue annually.
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