OTTAWA, ON: The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is calling on Ontario’s auditor general to investigate Metrolinx’s waste of $100 million on two SmartTrack stations that may never be built.

“It’s unacceptable for Metrolinx bureaucrats to blow hundreds of millions on projects that probably won’t even be built,” said Noah Jarvis, CTF Ontario Director. “Taxpayers deserve accountability when bureaucrats light our money on fire.”

Metrolinx spent $97 million on initial preparations to build two new SmartTrack train stations before the projects was cancelled, according to a confidential report obtained by the Toronto Star. 

Metrolinx spent nearly $50 million each on the Finch-Kennedy and Liberty-King stations before being scrapped by Toronto City Council. 

The SmartTrack transit project was initially conceived by former mayor John Tory to add several new train stations along existing Go Transit lines.

The City of Toronto hired Metrolinx to build five SmartTrack stations, giving the provincial transit agency $1.7 billion from taxpayers. But cost estimates for the project blew past initial estimates by over 50 per cent, forcing City Council to scrap two of the stations.

“Metrolinx shouldn’t be in the business of building things if it can’t get projects built,” Jarvis said. “When Metrolinx provides a cost projection, there seems to be no credibility and nobody is held accountable when they’re wrong.”

Metrolinx’s projects have repeatedly faced cost overruns in the past years.

The Eglinton Crosstown light-rail transit project was $4.8 billion over budget. It was supposed to cost $8.2 billion but bureaucrats are now billing taxpayers roughly $13 billion.

The Finch West LRT has ballooned by nearly 50 per cent from initial cost estimates. It was supposed to cost taxpayers $2.5 billion, but costs ballooned to $3.7 billion.

“Toronto taxpayers can’t afford to be low-balled by bureaucrats while the costs of transit projects soars,” Jarvis said. “Ontario’s auditor general needs to launch a full investigation into the SmartTrack debacle and figure out who is responsible for wasting a nearly $100 million in taxpayer dollars.”