The municipal election campaign has begun with one candidate for mayor of Toronto, Rocco Rossi, taking aim at the TTC and the light rail Transit City lines.

In his first major campaign speech on Thursday, January 21 at the Empire Club of Canada, Rossi said the City must focus on fixing finances, fixing the transportation system and attracting economic growth.

Rossi cited the St. Clair streetcar project to prove his argument that the TTC must change. If Toronto voters elected him as mayor, Rossi would eliminate the politician-only Toronto Transit Commission and replace it with a private-sector board of directors, like Metrolinx.

During his speech, Rossi said the commission should include “people who can be proper auditors, who can bring technical expertise and truly challenge the engineers to build a better TTC for all of us.”

He also wants to put the Transit City lines on hold until the City is sure that the funds to build and operate the lines are available. He exempts the Sheppard East line from this proposal because work has already begun.

You can read Rossi’s speech here. (.pdf)