Mayor Ford's "They want subway, subways, subways" speech

Mayor Rob Ford's speech Thursday morning, the first time he has spoken at the special meeting on the future of transit on Sheppard Ave.

"The people of the city have spoken loud and clear. They want subways folks. They want subways, subways, subways.
They had a debate last month about the Eglinton line….Liberal MPPs said. It’s their letter here. They couldn’t have been clearer. They want subways. They couldn’t say it.Now what we’re worried about is, hold on let’s get this done before the budget. We’re worried about what the provincial budget’s going to do, or the federal budget. What are you afraid of? It’s their money. Let’s see what they’re going to deliver to us or as the rumours going around they might pull the funding. That’s what we have to find out. That’s why I moved the motion to go to April 4th yesterday. You cannot not go ahead.
People hate the St. Clair. They hate these streetcars. You can call them what they want. People want subways folks. They want subways, subways. They don’t want these damned streetcars blocking up our city. That’s what they don’t want.
St. Clair’s not an LRT? Show me an LRT in Toronto. We don’t have one. This is going to be St. Clair Part 2.. went from $40 million to $100 million. This is going to be a boondoggle of billions of dollars to make the e-Health scandal look miniscule.
Mark my words, there’s not one project that we have done in transit that has come under budget. Not one. This is going to be the same thing.
Let’s find out where the provincial and federal governments stands. Support Councillor Thompson. Support the people of this city that want subways. Subways they want."
 

Comments

[BumbleB]

Highly entertaining, this mayor. Just wish he also had something to say.

[Chris Caple]

This man is almost completely incoherent. I don't think he's getting enough oxygen to his brain.

[Tom]

Our inarticulate Mayor clearly articulating his true feelings about any street level pubic transit. The fear mongering, the speculation, the finger pointing, the spreading of misinformation; all typically Conservative, and all oblivious to modern transit intelligence. Cars rule Ford's world, everything else gets quite literally buried.

[Paul Salmon]

If a single transit project hasn't come under budget, I can only imagine what the final cost to build subways would be.

[SJB DTZ]

If "not one" transit project has come in under budget, then what contingency planning do you have for the subway proposal, Mayor Ford?

You can't even fund the subway budget....let alone any overruns.

And "the people" are only the ones who support you. The rest of "the people" don't want subways. We want what we can afford.

No, there are no LRTs in Toronto yet. They have them in Dublin, and in Amsterdam, and a few other places I've visited.... nicer than streetcars. Run on their own right-of-way.

The place with the newest subway, that I've visited. Greece. And look at THEIR economy.

SJB

[michael mulrooney]

Seriously Mr Ford; is that all you've got? After 15 months? No business plan? No budget? Just vague statements about what people want and don't want. What people are those? Are you sure you're not just listening to people who only tell you what you want to hear? What about leadership, Mr Ford? What about convincing your city council that your plan is better? I mean convincing--by presenting your case and showing how it will benefit everyone--no? Maybe you just don't know how to do that. Maybe getting Don Cherry to insult them at your inauguration was your idea of how to get them to listen to you. You know, if most Torontonians really felt that subways were the right solution, your council would probably fall into line pretty quick--because they want to get re-elected. The fact that they are not with you suggests that many of them think that your plan is going to create more problems than it solves, leaving most of the city under-serviced, with over-capacity in a few select areas that will suck the TTC budget dry for decades.

[Yeah Right]

That, ladies and gentlemen, is ELOQUENCE!

[Darwin O'Connor]

It sounds like the rantings of a Dalek.

"You will build subways or you will be EXTERMINATED!"

[Gerald Shields]

Did we Americans sent a Republican Manchurian Candidate to run a Canadian city?