Ontario government wants to sell naming rights for current and future GO stations
Your neighbourhood GO Train station might soon go by a different name.
According to the Toronto Sun, the Ontario government and Metrolinx are getting ready to try and sell naming rights for GO Train stations, in-train quiet zones, bathrooms, waiting areas and more.
The Sun says they obtained documents that show the Ford government is doing this as a way to bring in more revenue without raising tax dollars.
Etobicoka-cola coming to a city near you.
— Christopher Caldwell (@CCGreenWave) August 1, 2019
This is also a good way to erase heritage and identity. Tx for the article.
Instead of selling names we could just raise the corporate tax rate to what it was before the CPC lowered it. #Toronto
Naming rights will be available for five to 10 year periods and could cost between $50,000 and $500,000 per station, per year.
The terms will vary depending on whether it's an existing station or a new one: existing stations may only have part of their names changed while new stations could have the entirety of their name purchased.
This is far from the first time there have been talks about selling the names of public transit stations.
Doug Ford promoted the idea of selling TTC station names when he was a city councillor in 2011, and it was endorsed by his brother and then-Mayor Rob Ford.
The TTC even discussed and looked into implementing the idea back in 2008.
Consultations begin today to seek out interest in renaming Whitby, Pickering, Exhibition, Clarkson and Oakville stations.
In the past, corporate interest in purchasing rights for names seemed low. It remains to be seen whether things will be any different this time around.
