Another New Ferry! What are they Thinking?

Empire-building Porkers dream up another way to spend taxpayers’ money

By Brian Isler –

The Toronto Port Authority has advertised a “Request for Expressions of Interest” for a new 200 passenger ferry – see the attached, from the Globe and Mail last week.

The Port Authority is poised to spend more public money for another new ferry for Porter Air. Less than three years ago, the Port Authority spent 5 million dollars of public money on a new ferry for Porter Air passengers.

Now they are preparing to do it again.

The Port Authority is mandated by law to be financially self-sufficient. But since its establishment in 1999 it dissipated its public assets by operating losses of over $32.7 million. According to the City of Toronto, The Port Authority owes it $36.9 million in unpaid payments “in lieu of taxes”.

To settle a lawsuit, the Lastman City Council bound the City to pay the Port Authority $48.6 million. And the Federal Government paid out $35 million in a settlement for a bridge that was supposed to cost $22 million. Porter Air received 20 million of the settlement –ostensibly to compensate it for not being able to start up its airline.

Add it up: $153.2 million of public money has gone to propping up the Port Authority and to subsidize Porter Air. Now they intend to spend even more.

CommunityAIR’s position is that if Porter wants a new ferry, it should be paying for it – the Canadian and City taxpayers have paid far too much already to support Porter’s business, and subsidize a Port Authority that has no accountability to the people of
Toronto.