Back in November, Councilor Karen Stintz (Ward 16 Eglinton/Lawrence) who had just been appointed by 
Mayor Rob Ford to lead the Toronto Transit Commission, declared that she was in favour of bringing additional skills from members of the business community to be part of the commission.

Councilor Karen Stintz. Image: thestar.com

“We need different skill sets beyond just political skills. This is an opportunity for us to expand the competency on the commission,” she said in the National Post.
 A staff report said that candidates should have legal, financial, engineering and construction knowledge, in addition to transit planning experience.

This idea is a good one. Previously, nine councilors oversaw the TTC but opening it up to those of us with relevant experience will create an arena for more relevant and focused discussion and problem solving opportunities.

Bloor subway station at rush hour. Image: cbc.ca

At Kirkor we deal with the TTC in numerous capacities, mainly when we are working through the infrastructure challenges that go with building large-scale projects over existing or upcoming transit stations. One of the greatest challenges when working with multiple parties is to build consensus, and I very much look forward to a future when this becomes a more fluid process.

Our project Hullmark Centre, at Sheppard and Yonge will sit above two subway lines.

Given that many of the city’s new smart-growth projects are centered around transit nodes, it’s important that the GTA moves ahead with a comprehensive, intelligent approach to transit. My hope is that the new board will help achieve this. The decision will be made in the fall, so stay tuned.

In the meantime, Councilor Stintz spoke at the Economic Club of Canada a few weeks ago. Judging from the reports on her improvement plans, the TTC will benefit considerably from input from citizen representatives.

-Steve