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Mr. Mihevc:

In response to your two points.

Backroom deals: 
1) The TTC advertised the Environmental Assessment meetings in the community newspapers (papers most of us put in recycling without reading because they're little more than advertising flyers) and with posted notices at the street car stops.  This means that residents who ride the street car were well informed of the meetings and the other 81% of residents (the TTC's numbers given at the EA) were poorly informed.  This smacks of an attempt to stack the EA meetings with street car riders and cut all others out.

2) At a meeting of the Regal Heights Residents Association Rod McPhail of the TTC told us that Mitch Stambler of the TTC "Would have loved to have put a reserved right of way on King St but they wouldn't let him because it's too narrow."  How can can the residents of St. Clair West believe that the Environmental Assessment is anything but an orchestrated farce if the TTC employees involved clearly have a specific outcome in mind?  This bias creates the suspicion that this decision was made behind closed doors long ago.

To clear the air of this taint is simple: have a well advertised Environmental Assessment conducted by an independent third party such as the Province of Ontario.  The TTC is far too close to the issue to conduct a fair EA.

I also notice you didn't respond to my suggestion of a free vote on the issue for the wards encompassing St. Clair West.  I'm in favour of democracy.  As I said in my previous e-mail: if the majority vote in favour of the right-of-way, I'll accept their judgment.  Are you willing to put this matter to a vote and abide by the outcome?

The money issue:
Mitch Stambler of the TTC told us at a meeting of the Regal Heights Residents Association that the cost of the project is twenty-five million to reconstruct the street car tracks as they are, and a FURTHER twenty-five million to reconstruct St. Clair with the Right-of-Way.  If these numbers are incorrect perhaps you could get us the real figures.

You say that you believe this is a debate worthy of public attention.  Is that going to happen?  I'm told (by the TTC in their timeline) that the TTC's decision will be based on the two community meetings of the Environmental Assessment.  Those poorly advertised meetings can hardly be called fair public debate.

Mr. Mihevc:  What are you going to do to ensure a fair public debate?

Thank you for your time.

Michael A. McPherson

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