Simone Smith
In fall 2016, Toronto City Council endorsed a proposal for a new major park in Downtown Toronto, to be built over the rail corridor between Bathurst Street and Blue Jays Way. It will be known as Rail Deck Park. According to the City of Toronto, the project will transform this unused air space into Toronto’s next great gathering space for recreation, culture, and celebration.
The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is calling on Toronto Mayor John Tory to scrap his unaffordable Rail Deck Park scheme as documents show it would cost the equivalent of 138,616 shelter beds.
Last year, Tory confirmed he still wants to proceed with Rail Deck Park, a project which will be built in the air above the railways on the west side of Union Station. The city estimates the project will cost $1.7 billion, but the Canadian Taxpayers Federation released a report showing that it is more likely to cost at least $3.8 billion.
Responses to freedom of information requests from the city of Toronto reveal that the CTF’s estimated cost of Rail Deck Park is equivalent to the cost of:
- Funding 138,616 shelter beds in Toronto for one year
- Funding 711,342,155 meals served in Toronto city shelters
- About 15 times the total budget for shelter services
“Politicians should only spend our tax money where it’s needed most – not on pet projects,” said Jasmine Moulton, Ontario Director for the Canadian Taxpayers Federation. “Tory’s plan to spend billions on a single luxury park is indefensible while people in this city are homeless and living on the streets. The city council should be publicly shamed for prioritizing a luxury park pet project above the basic human needs of the city’s homeless population. It’s time the city of Toronto showed a little respect for taxpayers, and abandoning plans for Rail Deck Park would be a great place to start.”
You can learn more about the Rail Deck Park by visiting https://www.toronto.ca/city-government/planning-development/planning-studies-initiatives/rail-deck-park/rail-deck-park-overview/.
