Another group of Torontonians who are concerned about public transit in Toronto and the future of the Transit City network of light rail transit lines is hosting its first public event on Wednesday, April 21 at Toronto City Hall.
The Public Transit Coalition, a loose collection of community organizations, plans to launch its “Save Transit City” campaign by “packing the room” — encouraging as many people as possible to attend its event. It will invite City and provincial politicians to sign a pledge to work toward building Transit City on the original timeline.
The National Post reports that the coalition includes organized labour, the Toronto Environmental Alliance and the Toronto branch of ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now). The group’s other key plank is resisting calls to privatize the TTC or its operations.
According to the group’s website, the Public Transit Coalition is
“a group of citizens that believes Toronto residents should be free to travel where we want, when we want, in a reasonable length of time. Our Municipal, Provincial and Federal Governments have a responsibility to guarantee this fundamental freedom. In an urban area this is only possible with excellent public transit.
It says it’s
“an independent, non-partisan movement based on the principles that:
- Transit works because it is public, and government oversight and accountability are critical to its success.
- All governments have a responsibility to fund it adequately to ensure a high level of service and affordable fares.
- Every neighbourhood has a right to excellent, accessible public transit service. In Toronto this means that the Transit City Light Rail plan needs to be completed.
“But transit is about more than moving people: it is about building cities. Toronto is a growing city and it will not be able to function if people are not offered an alternative to driving a car.
“If we want to live in a sustainable, vibrant, prosperous and inclusive city in the future we need to invest today. The Public Transit Coalition is committed to ensuring that this investment is made.”
The launch of the Public Transit Coalition takes place on Wednesday, April 21 at 6 p.m. in the Council Chamber, Toronto City Hall, 100 Queen Street West.
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