Greater Toronto Area

• CBC News Toronto report, “Metrolinx should ignore council, Ford ally suggests”, here.
• CTV News Toronto report, “Toronto council set to debate Transit City plan”, here.
• CTV News Toronto report, “Special meeting called to decide Toronto’s transit fate”, here.
• Citytv News Toronto report, “Ford vs. Stintz: Transit showdown at City Hall [today]”, here.
• CP24 report, “Showdown at city hall today over future of TTC”, here.
• Ford for Toronto post, “Subways & LRTs & Operating Costs”, here.
• Globe and Mail article, “Vote over subway called ‘a straight-up fight’”, here.
• Globe and Mail column, “Liberals need not cheer Ford’s transit woes”, here.
• Globe and Mail article, “Much maligned St. Clair line not so bad after all”, here.
• Globe and Mail Infographic, “Traffic drops with construction of Toronto’s light rail line”, here.
• Globe and Mail video, “Marcus Gee explains the fight over public transit”, here.
• InsideToronto.com post, “Transit City might be revived”, here.
• National Post article, “Toronto City Council gridlocked on subways”, here.
• National Post editorial, “Transit feuding not the better way for Toronto”, here.
• National Post article, “Comparing Toronto’s transit plans”, here.
• NOW article, “
• OpenFile Toronto post, “Ford never had the authority to cancel Transit City. What took council so long to speak up?”, here.
• OpenFile Toronto post, “Metrolinx dips a toe into the Eglinton Crosstown fight and Ford gets (a little) help”, here.
• OpenFile Toronto post, “Could you plan this city’s transit? An answer key”, here.
• Spacing Toronto post, “Following up on Leslie St.”, here.
• Steve Munro’s post, “Metrolinx Contemplates LRT vs Subway”, here.
• Torontoist post, “
• Toronto Life’s Daily Informer post, “B-I-N-G-O! Seriously, check out this awesome Transit City bingo card!”, here.
• Toronto Life’s Daily Informer post, “Will some councillors vote for Rob Ford’s transit plan even at their own ward’s expense?”, here.
• Toronto Life’s Daily Informer post, “Marcus Gee wants Metrolinx to endorse a transit plan (for crying out loud!), here.
• Toronto Star column, “Transit planners don’t like each other much”, here.
• Toronto Star article, “Councillor says province should ignore council if it rejects Mayor’s transit plan”, here.
• Toronto Star’s “The Goods” post, “Mayor tries to raise ailing ally from sick bed for transit vote”, here.
• Toronto Sun editorial, “Council must back Ford’s transit plan”, here.
• Toronto Sun article, “Council poised to kill Ford’s transit plan”, here.
• Toronto Sun column, “Stintz takes unprincipled stand”, here.
• Town Crier article, “Stintz petitions for transit meeting”, here.
• Town Crier article, “Councillor not included in Stintz petition”, here.
• TTCriders.ca post, “All councillors should back Stintz’s LRT plan”, here.

Elsewhere in the Greater Golden Horseshoe

• Brantford Expositor article, “City gets public input on bus terminal”, here.
• TriTag.ca post, “Potential Pitfalls of LRT P3”, here.
• Waterloo Region Record report, “Regional council approves private partner for rail transit”, here.

Yesterday, Monday, February 6, Ford used his Facebook page to send a letter to all residents asking them to let their councillors know why they support his plan for underground rapid transit.

This is the Mayor’s letter to Torontonians:

“Dear Friends,

“Today, 24 City Councillors signed a petition that will allow for a special meeting of City Council this Wednesday.

“At issue is my plan to expand rapid transit with the underground Eglinton - Scarborough Crosstown, the Sheppard subway expansion and enhanced express bus service on Finch.

“Many Councillors are looking to disband my rapid transit plan in favour of a Light Rail Vehicle network that would put more tracks on the roads, create traffic chaos and result in years of needless, messy and inconvenient construction.

“Over the past number of weeks you have been updated with the facts on rapid transit. It is now time for Toronto residents to express their views on underground rapid transit.

“Let your Councillor know why you support underground rapid transit by visiting http://app.toronto.ca/im/council/councillors.jsp to get your Councillor’s contact information.

“Thank you.”

Greater Toronto Area

• 680 All News Radio report, “Head of TTC clashes with Mayor over transit plan”, here.
• 680 All News Radio report, “Ford tries to keep his subway dream alive”, here.
• BlogTO post, “Council rebels against Ford’s underground transit vision”, here.
• BlogTO post, “Transit and planning experts rally against Ford’s plans”, here.
• Bow. James Bow post, “Why transit?”, here.
• Bow. James Bow post, “I am not Anti-Subway, I am Pro-Transit”, here.
• CBC News Toronto report, “Toronto council to debate transit future”, here.
• CTV News Toronto report, “High profile transit showdown looming”, here.
• Citytv News Toronto report, “Special council meeting on transit to be held Wednesday”, here.
• CP24 report, “Council will hold special meeting on Transit City”, here.
• Ford for Toronto post, “Why are some councillors set to vote against transit in their own wards?”, here.
• Ford for Toronto post, “Council revives Transit City as opponents run out of fresh arguments”, here.
• Global News Toronto report, “City Council to decide on Transit City on Wednesday”, here.
• Globe and Mail article, “Ford, Stintz gird for battle over transit”, here.
• Globe and Mail article, “Transit petition to put Ford’s leadership to test”, here.
• Globe and Mail column, “Metrolinx on the sidelines of city hall’s transit war”, here.
• Globe and Mail article, “Vote: which transit plan should Toronto follow?”, here.
• InsideHalton.com article, “Region promoting carpools [this] week”, here.
• InsideToronto.com post, “TRANSIT: Special council meeting Wednesday to debate LRT, subway plans”, here.
• National Post article, “Metrolinx gives Rob Ford’s transit plan a lift”, here.
• National Post article, “Councillors move to derail Ford’s subway vision”, here.
• National Post article, “Karen Stintz finds following her convictions leads to trouble”, here.
• National Post article, “Karen Stintz’s Transit City petition called ‘a coup’ by Giorgio Mammoliti”, here.
• Newstalk 1010 report, “Mayor Asks Torontonians For Support in His Transit Vision”, here.
• NOW article, “Ford’s transit plans hijacked”, here.
• OpenFile Toronto post, “Could you plan this city’s transit?: A transportation quiz”, here.
• OpenFile Toronto post, “Toronto’s transit battle will be out in the open February 8”, here.
• Steve Munro’s post, “The Chong Report (I) (Updated)”, here.
• Torontoist post, “Rebellion at City Hall: Everything You Need to Know About City Council’s Special Transit Meeting”, here.
• Toronto Life’s Daily Informer post, “Karen Stintz calls for a special council meeting to kibosh Rob Ford’s transit plan”, here.
• Toronto Life’s Daily Informer post, “Local experts blast Rob Ford’s transit plan, turning his government-as-business rhetoric against him”, here.
• Toronto Star column, “Get all the experts — our transit future’s on the line”, here.
• Toronto Star article, “TTC chair moves to bury Mayor’s transit plan”, here.
• Toronto Star editorial, “Mayor Rob Ford’s bullying could sink his subway plans”, here.
• Toronto Star’s “The Goods” post, “The Mayor summons ‘Ford Nation’ to save his subway”, here.
• Toronto Star’s “The Goods” post, “Stintz transit scrum”, here.
• Toronto Star poll, “Would you approve the use of road tolls to help pay for the Sheppard subway?”, here.
• Toronto Star article, “San Francisco pays tribute to TTC’s historic Red Rocket”, here.
• Toronto Sun column, “Turncoat Stintz isn’t listening to Scarborough’s voters”, here.
• Toronto Sun article, “Stintz leads way to derailing Ford’s transit plan”, here.
• Toronto Sun article, “Toronto taxpayers on the hook for transit delays: Metrolinx president”, here.
• Toronto Sun article, “Citizen commissioners coming to the TTC”, here.
• Toronto Sun column, “TTC wasting taxpayers’ money: whistleblower”, here.

Elsewhere in the Greater Golden Horseshoe

• CATCH (Citizens at [Hamilton] City Hall) post, “Walmart subsidy”, here.
• CTV News Southwestern Ontario report, “Ridership on new GO train service ‘meets expectations’, here.
• Hamilton Community News article, “Motorists brace for delays with Wilson Street reconstruction”, here.
• Waterloo Region Record article, “Politicians weigh taking private partner for rail transit”, here.
• Waterloo Region Record editorial, “A private hand for public trains”, here.

For example, TTCriders.ca urges all Councillors to support the LRT transit expansion plan that the chair of the Toronto Transit Commission Karen Stintz will move by at a special City Council meeting on Wednesday.

The group says Councillor Stintz’s light rail transit plan “will deliver the rapid transit Torontonians want. This plan is based on solid transit principles, will see rapid transit built quickly, underground where it is needed, to all parts of the city, and it’s completely paid for by the Province.”

TTCriders released the following statement today:

“We applaud Councillor Stintz and the other 23 Councillors who are calling for a special Council meeting on Wednesday which should get transit expansion moving again in Toronto. Now we call on Mayor Ford and the other 20 Councillors to get on board as well.

“Councillor Stintz’s plan calls for four Light Rail Transit (LRT) lines to be built: the Eglinton Crosstown (underground from Keele St to Laird Ave and at grade from Leslie Street to Kennedy Station); replacing the current Scarborough RT with LRT and expanding it north to Sheppard Ave; along Sheppard Ave East from Don Mills Station to Morningside Ave; along Finch Ave west from the new Finch West Station to Humber College. These new LRT lines will have almost no impact on existing car lanes as there is enough space to build new lanes on these wide suburban avenues.”

TTCriders has also launched an e-petition that allows Torontonians to send an email to their Councillor showing their support for the plan. You can add your name to the petition here.

Meanwhile, the Facebook group Save Transit City is organizing an on-street canvas of transit passengers on Finch Avenue West tomorrow. The goal is to let riders know about the special Wednesday meeting of City Council and that the discussion could result in a light rail line on Finch West — or not.

Canvassers meet tomorrow, Tuesday, February 7 at Finch Avenue West and Weston Road from 7 until 8:30 a.m.

“decide on a Council position as requested by the Chair of Metrolinx in his January 31, 2012 letter to Mayor Rob Ford and Toronto Transit Commission Chair Karen Stintz.”

The Clerk, in turn, has called the special meeting to take place in the Council Chamber of City Hall, 100 Queen Street West, at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, February 8. The Municipal Act allows for a majority of the members of a municipal council to petition the Clerk for a special meeting and it also requires the Clerk to schedule the meeting within 48 hours of receiving the petition.

What’s extraordinary is that this is the first time since 1998 — when Metropolitan Toronto and its six local municipalities amalgamated into the current City of Toronto — that someone other than the Mayor has requested a special meeting of Council. Usually, the Mayor asks the Clerk to hold such a meeting during unusual circumstances, such as when Mayor David Miller called a special meeting to decide whether to award a contract for new streetcars in June 2009.

(This may also be the only time that this has occurred in City Hall for many, many years, at least since 1977, when I started working there — but other municipal government experts may have to correct me on that.)

What this is all about, to keep it simple, is that in 2011, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty and Mayor Rob Ford agreed to direct all of the funds that Metrolinx had reserved for the former Transit City plan of light-rail transit (LRT) lines across the city to just one project, the Eglinton - Scarborough Crosstown LRT line. They also agreed that the transit cars serving the line would operate entirely underground, instead of partially on city streets, as the architects of Transit City had originally envisioned.

In exchange, Mayor Ford agreed that the City would extend the Sheppard subway west to Downsview Station and east to Scarborough Centre station on its own, using funds from the private sector.

Last week, Metrolinx asked Ford and Stintz to confirm the transportation plan and to urge them to make sure council would endorse the plan, so that they could get on with the business of building the Eglinton line.

But, it’s much, much more complicated than that. In fact, it isn’t simple, at all…

During the work, trains serving Ajax have to stop 450 metres further east along the platform. Passengers boarding and exiting trains at Ajax will not have access to the four east-end coaches on each train, the first four cars from the locomotive, while construction proceeds.

The contractors are adding a new snow-melt system to reduce the amount of snow building up on the platform during the winter and revamping the platform shelters with closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras and new lighting. They’ll also install a new elevator that will eventually connect the platform to a future pedestrian tunnel to the parking structure.

• North Service Road between Annapolis Avenue and Redan Drive

all this week to accommodate Region of Peel contractors who are repairing a sewer that has collapsed.

miWay is detouring buses operating along the 4 Sherway Gardens route, while the roadway is closed.

In Stouffville both north- and southbound buses operating along the 71 / 71A / 71C / 71D Stouffville / Toronto route now serve a new stop on Main Street at Tenth Line.

In Vaughan, both north- and southbound buses operating along the 63 King City / Toronto route now serve a new stop on Keele Street at Peak Point Boulevard.

Barrie GO Bus Passengers: We are happy to announce that starting on February 1st, 2012, your GO Bus will now stop on Keele St at Peak Point Blvd in both north and southbound directions! Thank you for letting us keep you in the know as we work to provide more options for your commute.

We are happy to announce that starting on February 1st, 2012, your GO Bus will now stop on Main St at 10th Line in both north and southbound directions! Thank you for letting us keep you in the know as we work to provide more options for your commute.

Greater Toronto Area

• 680 All News Radio report, “U of T urban planning group wants city council to rethink transit plan”, here.
• CBC News Toronto report, “Transit revolt erupts on Toronto council”, here.
• Citytv News Toronto report, “TTC Chair Karen Stintz leads charge to resurrect Transit City”, here.
• Citytv News Toronto report, “2 months of free transit begins in York Region”, here.
• Globe and Mail article, “Stintz leads anti-Ford rebellion over the future of transit”, here.
• Globe and Mail article, “Transit experts blast Ford’s Eglinton Crosstown strategy”, here.
• Newstalk 1010 report, “War On Transit Heats Up At City Hall”, here.
• Steve Munro’s post, Stintz Leads Call For Special Council Meeting”, here.
• Steve Munro’s post, “The Chong Report (I)”, here.
• Torontoist post, “Transit Pros Support Eglinton Subway-Surface LRT Plan”, here.
• Torontoist post, “Planners, Urban Designers, Academics Call For Restoring Sense to Transit Planning”, here.
• Toronto Star article, “TTC chair Karen Stintz moves to bury Rob Ford’s subway”, here.
• Toronto Star article, “Is a subway twice as fast as light rail?”, here.
• Toronto Star article, “LRT the way to go on Toronto transit, think tank says”, here.
• Toronto Star column, “Mayor Rob Ford is Toronto’s Schettino”, here.
• Toronto Star column, “Only clear winner in contract settlement was the process”, here.
• Toronto Sun article, “Transit rebellion at City Hall”, here.

Elsewhere in the Greater Golden Horseshoe

• Niagara Falls Review article, “Draft budget excludes transit upgrade”, here.

Greater Toronto Area

• DurhamRegion.com article, “Sexy bus ad prompts complaints to Durham Transit”, here.
• OpenFile Toronto post, “Past Pieces of Toronto: Spadina’s Moving Walkways”, here.
• OpenFile Toronto post, “Wisdom of the Ancients: Subway Song Edition”, here.
• The Grid article, “Fact check: Team Ford’s LRT email campaign”, here.
• Toronto Sun editorial, “Get the shovels in the ground for transit”, here.

Elsewhere in the Greater Golden Horseshoe

• MyKawartha.com article, “Who will run the rail?”, here.
• MyKawartha.com article, “Township will take part in survey to look at commuter options”, here.
• Peterborough Examiner article, “Consultant’s focus group tackles future of Peterborough Transit”, here.

If you missed the meeting, you can still have your say. The Crosstown staff have posted the presentation on line and are also providing an on-line form to gather your ideas about the proposals.

You can view the presentation here. (.pdf)

If you can’t view the .pdf file, you can read a text summary here.

You can submit your comments until Thursday, February 16 here.

This week, the series of open houses continues, with a public meeting this Thursday, February 9 to present the plans for the future Keele - Eglinton rapid transit station.

Next Friday, February 11, Tokens 4 Change and high schools across Toronto join in a one-day event to raise TTC tokens for Youth Without Shelter, which uses 5,000 TTC tokens to help 1,000 homeless youth in Toronto each year. The tokens let homeless young people visit the doctor, get to and from school or travel to job interviews.

From 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. Friday, high schools will each “own” subway stations and students from those schools will perform on the subway platforms to encourage you to donate tokens or cash to buy tokens. You can expect to see choirs, drum bands, dance mobs, poets and other acts in stations throughout the TTC’s network.

Project Humanity, a local non-profit organization raising social awareness through the arts, recently led workshops with local high school students and professional artists to create on-platform performances that shed light on homelessness and why tokens are an important way to help homeless young men and women.

A roving troupe of local artists will complement these station-specific performances by performing spontaneously at various stations.

Volunteers at the first event last year doubled their goal of 5,000 tokens by raising $30,000 - the equivalent of 10,000 tokens. This year, to date, more than 400 Tokens4Change volunteers have signed up to perform and collect tokens at 25 TTC stations.

From 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. Friday, February 10, you’ll see Tokens 4 Change performances at:

1 Yonge - University - Spadina subway:

Bloor, College, Downsview, Eglinton, Eglinton West, Finch, King, Osgoode, Queen, St. Andrew, St. Clair, St. Clair West, St. George, St. Patrick, Sheppard - Yonge, Spadina, Union, Wellesley, Yorkdale.

2 Bloor - Danforth subway:

Bathurst, Bay, Broadview, Dundas West, Islington, Jane, Kennedy, Kipling, Ossington, St. George, Spadina, Yonge.

4 Sheppard subway:

Don Mills, Sheppard - Yonge.

Buy a red 2012 toque to support Raising the Roof’s campaign to “put a cap” on homelessness among young people. Wear your 2012 toque on Toque Tuesday, February 7.

The toques fund grass-roots agencies working to help youth break away from street culture towards a better future. Toques cost $10 each. This year’s goal is to sell 50,000 toques across Canada.

In Toronto, volunteers are selling toques at various TTC stations from 7 until 9 a.m. and from 3:30 until 7 p.m. Tuesday:

1 Yonge - University - Spadina subway: Bloor, Dundas, Eglinton, Finch, Queen, Queen’s Park, St. Andrew, St. Clair, Sheppard-Yonge, Union.

2 Bloor - Danforth subway: Islington, Yonge.

4 Sheppard subway: Sheppard-Yonge.

Meanwhile, the St. Catharines Transit Commission is selling toques at the information counter in the Downtown Transit Terminal on Carlisle Street, while quantities last.

And, if you wear your toque when you board any SCTC bus in St. Catharines or Thorold, you get to ride free anytime Tuesday!

Past campaign sales have allowed Raising the Roof to grant almost $3.3 million to 145 local community agencies serving the homeless across the country. Part of this year’s proceeds will also help fund Raising the Roof’s Youthworks program, which aims to find long-term solutions to youth homelessness.

Not surprisingly with so massive a change, not everything has worked as planned.

So, starting Monday, February 6, Guelph Transit is responding to many requests from its passengers by tweaking the new route network — revising two routes and introducing a new one. GT has also made several other changes since New Year’s Day to improve its service by listening to its passengers.

Greater Toronto Area

• All Fired Up in the Big Smoke post, “Our harmful politics of transit”, here.
• Citytv News Toronto report, “2 months of free transit begins in York Region”, here.
• Downtown Community Bulletin column, “Make transit affordable for job seekers”, here.
• Ford For Toronto post, “Wasted Money: Putting Rob Ford’s Transit City cancellation in context”, here.
• Ford For Toronto post, “No Sheppard subway without road tolls, new taxes”, here.
• Globe and Mail column, “Cost puts brakes to Sheppard subway advocate’s zeal”, here.
• Globe and Mail article, “Why the man who won by a landslide can’t get a break”, here.
• InsideToronto.com column, “Finish what was started on Sheppard”, here.
• InsideToronto.com column, “Beyond the headlines: Mayor’s transit plan will need council support”, here.
• InsideToronto.com article, “People at Eglinton Square share variety of opinions on transit plans”, here.
• InsideToronto.com article, “Pasternak solicits Crosstown cash to build Sheppard subway loop”, here.
• InsideToronto.com article, “New Weston GO Station: residents offer input”, here.
• InsideToronto.com article, “Students aim to change lives of their peers one token at a time”, here.
• OpenFile Toronto post, “Mayor’s office votes nay, Chong retreats on road tolls”, here.
• The Grid article, “Fact Check update: Would Transit City remove traffic lanes?”, here.
• Toronto Life’s Daily Informer post, “Apparently, the Sheppard subway could see a giant chunk of funding come from the private sector”, here.
• Toronto Star article, “Talking points: Rift growing over Toronto transit”, here.
• Toronto Star article, “Toronto transit: Lessons from the past”, here.
• Toronto Sun article, “Transit fate soon to be on council’s plate”, here.
• Toronto Sun article, “Mihevc says he paid for Transit City legal opinion”, here.
• Town Crier article, “Report outlines Sheppard subway costs”, here.
• YorkRegion.com editorial, “Plenty to be learned from transit strike”, here.

Elsewhere in the Greater Golden Horseshoe

• Barrie Examiner article, “New GO station a hit”, here.