A growing controversy in Toronto centers around nearly $100 million in public funds spent on transit stations that may never see the light of day. The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is demanding a full investigation by Ontario’s auditor general, alleging reckless spending by Metrolinx and the City of Toronto.
The funds were allocated to planned SmartTrack stations along GO Train corridors – one near King St. in Liberty Village and another on Finch Ave. – but both projects were indefinitely shelved in December due to rapidly escalating costs. A confidential memo revealed the shocking extent of the waste: over $50 million already spent on stations now considered unlikely to be built.
SmartTrack began as an ambitious vision championed by former Toronto Mayor John Tory over a decade ago. Initially conceived as a 53-km, 22-stop independent transit line, it promised to connect Mississauga to Scarborough and relieve pressure on the city’s existing TTC system.
However, the scope of the project was dramatically scaled back over time. What began as a comprehensive new line evolved into an initiative focused on adding stations and trains to existing GO Train lines, a regional express service designed to supplement the TTC. By 2016, plans were reduced to just six new stations, estimated to cost $1.25 billion.
Even those reduced plans proved unsustainable, facing further cuts in 2021. Currently, only three stations are actively under development: East Harbour Transit Hub, Bloor-Lansdowne, and St. Clair-Old Weston. The total budget for these three stations has ballooned to $1.689 billion, split between the city, the province, and the federal government.
This latest issue isn’t an isolated incident. Metrolinx has a documented history of cost overruns and delays. The recently opened Eglinton Crosstown LRT was completed six years behind schedule and billions over budget, while the Finch West LRT faced a two-year delay and a $1.2 billion price increase.
The Taxpayers Federation argues that Toronto residents can no longer absorb these escalating costs. They insist a thorough investigation is crucial to determine who is accountable for the wasted funds and to prevent similar financial mismanagement in future transit projects.
The call for an audit underscores a growing concern about fiscal responsibility in large-scale infrastructure projects. The question now is whether Ontario’s auditor general will intervene to uncover the full story behind this significant expenditure of public money.
