People outraged Doug Ford told Metrolinx to hide Eglinton Crosstown LRT opening date
This week has brought some shocking new facts to light regarding Toronto's doomed Eglinton Crosstown LRT, which is now four years overdue and still without a confirmed opening date — something Premier Doug Ford apparently had a hand in.
Internal emails sourced and shared by the Star on Thursday evening show that while Metrolinx was prepared to release an updated schedule of when the new transit line was expected to reach completion, provincial leadership instead insisted it stay under wraps.
This was in summer 2023, ahead of multiple press conferences where Metrolinx then had to stay mum on the subject, to the anger of journalists and residents who continue to demand any idea of when they will get to ride the long-awaited east-west route.
What's the point of not coming clean here?
— north4ce 🇨🇦 (@qbeazer) August 2, 2024
Delay and keeping quiet about it is ridiculous#DOLTNation https://t.co/FV2aoifp9S
In response to this latest revelation, obtained by The Star through a freedom of information request, Ford's office justified the decision by telling the outlet that they "had very little confidence in the opening dates previously provided to the government," and didn't want people to be let down yet again by further delays.
But even if the dates provided weren't met — including the latest one, as leadership says — constituents feel that the Province has no right to withhold such information from the public, especially for such a crucial piece of infrastructure that is funded by taxpayer dollars and has experienced so many hiccups.
Even sketchier is the fact that a member of government who in the emails expressed support of releasing the date to hold the construction consortium behind the project accountable — chief of staff to Carolyn Mulroney, Minister of Transportation at the time — lost his role shortly after when Ford made cabinet changes, replacing Mulroney with Prabmeet Sarkaria.
The more we learn about @Metrolinx it seems more & more evident that they're part of the corruption with @fordnation & @KingaSurmaMPP
— Daz 🇺🇦 (@aupetitcoquin) August 2, 2024
If ANY employee (because they've been hired for a job, right?) gave this sort of service, delayed products, etc., they'd be dismissed pic.twitter.com/iGmnlpB4wi
This news is especially hard to take when it serves as just another scandal to add to Ford's long list following his attempted Greenbelt land sell-off, his insistence on giving Ontario Place to Therme (and its parking lot) despite public pushback, his suspicious and out-of-left-field idea to relocate the Ontario Science Centre to the same site, and more.
