The making of a mega project in the neoliberal city

Abstract

Canadian cities are widely recognized for their effective provision of public transportation. Both Montreal and Toronto are often cited as models of public transit, with system performance and ridership figures comparable to the best in the world, including Europe, the USA and Australia. The busway network in Ottawa is internationally acclaimed as an innovative and successful alternative to capital‐intensive urban rail systems (Cervero, 2001). In 1996, Vancouver was acknowledged as the North American Transit System of the Year by the American Public Transit Association. These Canadian transit systems experienced their greatest capital expansion as a result of public‐sector planning and financing, and each system is currently operated predominantly by public‐sector corporations. Yet at the beginning of the 21st century, private‐sector involvement in the planning, financing and operation of public transit has become increasingly popular in Canada. Seen as latecomers in experimenting with private‐sector involvement in the public transit industry, some Canadian systems have now begun to outsource the operation and maintenance of bus or rail services to private firms.