Scarborough subway's price tag now $3.35B, but Mayor John Tory vows to forge ahead

Written by: John Reiti

Activists critical of the Scarborough subway plan confronted John Tory face-to-face Tuesday, but the mayor and several councillors fired back at anyone trying to slow the project down.

Tory held a news conference at Kennedy Station, where commuters do what he called the "Scarborough shuffle" to transfer from the subway to the Scarborough RT. The subway plan would eliminate that by extending the Bloor-Danforth line by one stop, Scarborough Centre.

A new report, set to be debated by Tory's executive committee next week, lists the subway's new price tag as $3.346 billion — a cost which includes a new bus terminal design the report says would best unlock the value of the land around the terminal stop. That's up from staff's previous estimate of $3.2 billion.

The report also recommends using the McCowan corridor alignment for the future subway.

Kennedy Station serves as the connection point between the TTC subway and the Scarborough RT. (John Rieti/CBC)

Tory called on councillors to back those plans so design work for the subway can begin as soon as possible, saying it would be "scandalous" for anyone to try to derail the work.

"We are building the Scarborough subway extension because it's the right thing to do," Tory told reporters.

"It's just being done far later than it should have been."

Brenda Thompson, of the group Scarborough Transit Action — an offshoot of TTC Riders, grilled the mayor about the project's costs, and called on him to go back to a light rail plan that would have featured several stops.

"What about the station at Ellesmere? What about the station at Centennial College?" Thompson asked the mayor, who replied that those stops would eventually be covered by SmartTrack or other options.

"There are going to be more new transit stations in Scarborough when this is finished," Tory said.

That response wasn't enough for Thompson, who said she thinks the subway is an "irresponsible" use of money.

'The density and demand is here,' Scarborough resident says

Tory, third right, was joined by three Scarborough councillors who support the subway extension, from left: Glenn De Baeremaeker, Michelle Holland and Neethan Shan. (John Rieti/CBC)

However, Ryan Singh of the pro-subway group Connect Scarborough, praised Tory for pushing the project forward.

"It's about time that we get something built in Scarborough," he said, noting the RT was built in 1985 and nothing has been done since.

"The density and demand is here to build a subway."

TTC Chair Josh Colle and Coun. Glenn De Baeremaeker also spoke in favour of the subway.

De Baeremaeker noted that 19 of the 20 politicians elected in Scarborough support the subway.

City council's next meeting is set for early March.