Thank you.
Thanks to all of you for being here.
You're aware that the nature of this bill that has been presented is to try to create a national strategy, a strategy that guides the formation of public transit at the local, regional, and inter-regional levels, but from a national perspective, because there's a significant amount of federal money in most large public transit projects. In addition, there is a gas tax that is headed off to municipalities, which is a significant amount of money, and essentially there may be more money in the future.
One of the things that the bill would attempt to do is to coordinate transit in a much better way than has been done. I think you're all too aware of what happens when there is political infighting over transit projects: we have a ditch dug on Eglinton Avenue that's filled in later in the mid-1990s, and also, part of your plan for light rail all over Toronto has now been axed by the recently elected mayor of the City of Toronto.
Part of what we've heard other witnesses say is that creating some transparency and some accountability in transit decisions would be a good thing. Do you agree that a national strategy would be helpful?