Toronto's Mayor launches another salvo in his funding battle with the provincial government.
John Tory has chosen to employ what is perhaps this city's most reliable political weapon:
The subway train.
Tory warns that he might block an extension of the Yonge subway line into Richmond Hill if the provincial government does not hand over more money to build a new relief subway line for Toronto's downtown.
The proposal is in its early stages and likely wouldn't be completed until at least 2031.
Promises of new subway lines have been at the centre of political jockeying by previous administrations at city hall.
Most recently, the controversial proposal to build a subway extension to Scarborough, passed by the previous city council, has been a contentious issue through Tory's time as Mayor.
He has backed the project despite rapidly growing costs.
The Mayor was in Riverdale on Tuesday, with the chair of the TTC by his side, to slam Kathleen Wynne's Liberals over what they believe is a failure by the provincial government to step up and meet Ottawa's pledge to provide an equal share of new transit funding for Toronto.
Tory says a move to put priority on a 'downtown relief line' would be about cutting down on overcrowding on Yonge Line trains.
However, it seems clear he hasn't forgotten the 905-region MPP's who helped stick a knife in his back over his plan to toll the Don Valley Parkway and Gardiner Expressway to raise money for public transit projects.
Tory singles out Ontario's Transportation Minister:
"I find it interesting and ironic that the Minister who stands up and says 'the city of Toronto hasn't committed itself to its money for the relief line is the very same Minister (Steven Del Duca) who led the charge on doing away with road tolls," Tory says.
"I think that was unfair."
Del Duca's office fired back at Mayor Tory.
His office fanned out a written statement that complains that, "Mayor Tory just can't take yes for an answer."
"The City hasn't even made its own capital contributions, so we would need to wait for that due diligence to be completed," Del Duca says.
"By playing politics today and threatening to delay transit projects, the Mayor isn't helping anyone, especially his constituents who want transit built in Toronto."