Costs for the construction of the Scarborough subway seem higher than ever. Even with Ottawa on board with the project, handing over the $660 million as requested, and with city council voting in favour of this ‘well-needed’ extension, we still fall short of the full $3.5 billion required to get the job done. $910 million more is needed, and this is if we don’t include overlooked details such as construction damages. This subway plan may cost much more than expected.
And even then, it’s not about how much money is being spent in the process of all this; it’s about where the money is going. Is it really worth the $3.5 billion? While myself and much of the student body do not earn an income and therefore, are not affected by the spike in property tax (hide your wallets, hide your parents, you’re not getting that PSP for Christmas), I can’t be the only one who feels concerned as to where all this money is going; I know it’s going underground, but is it in the subway, or the sewage?
Of all the lanes, stations, and even projects they could have chosen from, why the Scarborough subway? Yes, the TTC is an important part of Torontonian society; it’s even a way of life. However, matters such as the possible flooding in the Lower Don River would cost at least $600 million to repair – a significantly more important and less expensive issue to deal with.
The subway plan isn’t as stable as the fully-funded, light-rail train plan. The future looks bleak for the trains underground. The debate between the subway versus LRT had been going for sometime; and for whatever reason, the cost-effective and transportation-effective LRT plan was denied.
Toronto has to pay for $910 million of the $3.5 billion needed for the subway, $745 million coming from property taxes. If $38 million is taken per year, it would take 30 years to pay off; and that’s if things go according to plan. By the time we get jobs of our own, we’ll still be paying for this subway. Maybe even when our own children get jobs.
