It appears Thursday's Metrolinx meeting didn't have the fireworks or drama of last week's special city council meeting on Toronto's transit future.
But that's alright. As a provincial agency charged with co-ordinating and delivering myriad of transportation initiatives, Metrolinx has a mandate that's different than those of councillors representing diverse opinions from across the city. What came out of the meeting, however, was important: confirmation, clarity and direction. By incorporating Toronto City Council's adopted motion of last week, Metrolinx has effectively allowed council to do its job: be the voice of the people it represents. So, what in some respects, may seem a fairly mundane development is a positive - especially given the uncertainty surrounding Toronto's transit future. This uncertainty was expressed by the acrimony on the floor of city council last week during the special meeting. It even spilled over into this week with the decision by eight Etobicoke-York councillors to sign an 'SOS' letter to Premier Dalton McGuinty asking for an open vote in the provincial legislature on the matter.While it's clear a rift remains at the Toronto council level, what's important to remember in all this is that Metrolinx asked for clarity and direction from council, received it and is pledging to act on it. That in itself is welcome. Per council's direction, Metrolinx has pledged to contribute to the expert panel set up by council to look at transit options on Sheppard Avenue. A report is required back for council's review on March 21. Once the panel's advice and subsequent decision from council is taken, Metrolinx can then prepare its own advice recommendations to the province. With a memorandum of agreement between Metrolinx, the TTC and the city set to expire on March 31, there's not a lot of time to dither. In the meantime, work on the Eglinton-Scarborough Crosstown line's central tunnel, which began last year, is continuing. So is construction on an above-ground section of the Eglinton line west to Jane Street from Black Creek Drive. It's important the momentum of those projects be sustained, especially with the number of community consultations taken along the line for stations at Bathurst Street, Allen Road, and Dufferin and Keele streets. As we said in this space last week, councillors had their say; they did their job. It appears the initial response from Metrolinx is a reason for optimism, as it moves direly-needed transit projects forward.