THUNDER BAY -- Bill Mauro intends to meet with the Toronto Transit Commission next week to deliver some choice words on the province's transit investments and its relationship with Thunder Bay's Bombardier plant.
The Thunder Bay-Atikokan MPP is concerned over what he called the TTC's "sabre-rattling" Oct. 16 announcement that it's considering suing Bombardier for $50 million over the company's failure to deliver 23 streetcars by the end of 2015.
Only 10 of the 67 streetcars Toronto contracted for 2015 are now in operation. Although Bombardier committed to producing another 16 cars in 2015 as it inches toward completing the 208-car order, the TTC issued a release saying it has lost confidence the company will deliver on that promise.
The commission has gone so far as to publicly contemplate barring Bombardier from applying future contracts.
On Friday, Mauro announced he's hoping to meet with TTC officials to remind them of the province's financial and political commitment to expanding Toronto's transit network.
"What I'm going to suggest is that we're a major funder," Mauro said.
"I will suggest to them that should they continue to try to enhance mass transit and ridership and address their gridlock in Southern Ontario, it would be very difficult to continue in that regard unless the province was there as a funder."
Although Mauro recognizes the contract is between Bombardier and the TTC, he pointed out the province is far from a disinterested party.
Before the Liberals were elected in 2003, the local Bombardier plant had only 250 workers. Mauro credits his government's support for a local Bombardier workforce five times larger today, adding the Premier's Office and the Minister of Transportation are standing behind him.
"We're doing everything we can -- where we're able -- to remind the TTC of the role the province has played in these contracts historically and quite possibly will continue to play," he said.
"I'd add as well, we're committed to a major infrastructure build-out, which will lead likely to more major procurements of mass transit vehicles in the City of Toronto and regionally. As a local member, I want to ensure our plant is positioned to be able to be a competitor for those contracts."
