[URBAN NOTE] Leading Scarborough Subway Champions Now Want a Different Route, Because Of Course"

[rfmcdonald]

Torontoist's David Hains shares my exasperation in regards to Scarborough's continued uncertainty over what sort of mass transit it wants.

The most vociferous political supporters of the Scarborough subway now oppose the proposed route for the $3.56 billion one-stop extension.

Glenn De Baeremaeker (Ward 38, Scarborough Centre), who John Tory named his “subway champion” on City Council, and Liberal MPP Brad Duguid opposed the current route at a local community meeting, as reported by Inside Toronto. De Baeremaeker called the route “a horrible imposition on our community,” because of five years of construction that would include dust, noise, and other difficulties.

The proposed route, which would go east from Kennedy Station and along McCowan to Scarborough Town Centre, would involve expropriation of local residences and businesses. In July, De Baeremaeker successfully moved a motion that would also protect the Frank Faubert Wood Lot during the construction phase. This move could add millions to construction costs.

Neither De Baeremaeker nor Duguid is willing to give up on the subway, with the MPP saying that seeing it cancelled would only happen over his dead body. They favour an alternate route proposed by a retired Scarborough planner, which would see an elaborate bend west of McCowan before swerving back east. The plan has not been studied by city staff and costs have not been analyzed.