New Transit Report Card shows Voters where Council Candidates Stand on Top Election Issue

Toronto: Today, the Public Transit Coalition (PTC) released a report card that graded candidates running for City Council on the election issue that has received the most attention to date: public transit. Each candidate was sent a ten-question survey on a range of transit-related issues such as: keeping the TTC public, building the Transit City Light Rail Plan and keeping fares in check through a sustainable operating subsidy for the TTC from the City and the Province. The complete list of survey questions and candidate responses can be found at www.KeepTTCPublic.ca.

“The good news is that the vast majority of respondents are committed to building a better, publicly-run TTC,” said PTC spokesperson Jamie Kirkpatrick. “Over three quarters of respondents scored 80% or better on the survey reflecting the commitment most candidates have to expanding and improving the TTC.”

“The bad news is that not all candidates seem to share this commitment: 17 incumbent candidates refused to fill out the survey,” said Kirkpatrick. “It’s unfortunate they chose not to let the public know where they stand on key issues like TTC funding, public-private partnerships and Transit City.”

The survey was sent to all registered Council candidates in August. The PTC repeatedly contacted candidates who had not responded, encouraging them to fill out the survey.

“Torontonians care about the future of the TTC. Now they have an important tool to find out which candidates running for City Council share their vision for a better TTC,” said Kirkpatrick. “We hope they will consider these results when they vote on October 25th.”

The Public Transit Coalition is a collaboration of thousands of Torontonians who agree that the TTC must be kept public, be properly funded by all levels of Government, and that the Transit City Light Rail Plan be completed by 2020. To date, over 12,000 individuals have become PTC members along with almost 40 community groups and other organizations.

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For more information and to arrange interviews, contact Jamie Kirkpatrick (416-895-3406)

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