02-20-2021, 06:39 PM
I don't know how CUTA compiled their data, but it doesn't really make much sense if you actually look at the annual budgets. A lot of the changes are due to accounting differences, or things like previous years including significant reserve transfers. It also specifically only applies to GRT. The fare recovery rates Outhit reports seem to be based on different budget numbers and include provincial grants, etc. Plus if you add the operating cost for ION the cost per resident goes up even higher, but it would still be a misleading year-over-year comparison because taxes were just as high for many years due to the reserve funding levy.
Basically the whole thing is a bit of a mess, and it's hard to tell what's really being compared. Outhit does this sort of thing all the time, like how he reports the cost of ION as "more than $1 billion" because he secretly adds 30 years of debt servicing to the total. This sort of stuff is why so many people don't trust what he writes about public transit and other related topics.
Basically the whole thing is a bit of a mess, and it's hard to tell what's really being compared. Outhit does this sort of thing all the time, like how he reports the cost of ION as "more than $1 billion" because he secretly adds 30 years of debt servicing to the total. This sort of stuff is why so many people don't trust what he writes about public transit and other related topics.