Ontario transportation minister requests Toronto award subway car contract to Alstom Thunder Bay

Kris Ketonen · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 25, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

Ontario's proscription curate is asking the City of Toronto to see a sole-source declaration with Alstom that would spot 55 caller subway cars built successful Thunder Bay.

Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria made the petition successful a missive to Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow connected Wednesday, stating it was prompted by economical uncertainty sparked by the Canada-U.S. trade war.

"I americium requesting that the City of Toronto admit this historical accidental and see a sole-source procurement with Alstom, which would enactment Ontario workers successful Thunder Bay and crossed our province," Sarkaria's missive states. "The Ontario authorities volition enactment with the metropolis and the national authorities to guarantee the palmy transportation of the trains should this determination pb to immoderate changes successful the task scope."

Ontario has contributed $758 cardinal toward the gathering of the subway cars, which volition beryllium utilized connected Line 2.

The wide outgo of the task is conscionable implicit $2 billion, with the City of Toronto and national authorities besides pledging $758 cardinal each.

"We're successful an unprecedented clip close now," Sarkaria said successful an interrogation with CBC News connected Thursday. "President [Donald] Trump's tariffs and the uncertainty they person caused person truly taken purpose astatine Ontario's economy, and we've got to bash everything successful our powerfulness to enactment and support Ontario workers and businesses."

A petition for proposals (RFP) for the operation of the cars was issued successful December. A Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) spokesperson said Thursday the RFP has closed, and bids are being reviewed.

The TTC is readying to grant the declaration aboriginal adjacent year. When the national backing was announced successful November, Chrystia Freeland, past lawman premier minister, said the cars would beryllium built successful Thunder Bay.

"Mayor Chow supports Buying Canadian whenever possible," Zeus Eden, spokesperson for Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow's office, said successful an email to CBC News. "With President Trump attacking Canada's economy, we request to enactment section workers, jobs and businesses. We are moving successful collaboration with the provincial and national authorities to present nationalist transit for Torontonians and to enactment Canadian jobs."

Eden said the politician speaks regularly with Minister Sarkaria and volition enactment with the province to spot if determination petition is feasible. Sarkaria said helium expects to find enactment for his petition successful the mayor's office.

"Premier [Doug] Ford a mates of weeks agone announced a procurement argumentation which said we were going to not lone prohibition American companies, but besides look to existing contracts with which we tin root much from Ontario," Sarkaria said. "The City of Toronto besides did specified a question done their council, led by Mayor Chow."

Kristen Oliver, councillor for Thunder Bay's Westfort ward — the ward successful which the Alstom works is located — and seat of the city's Intergovernmental Affairs Committee, said she was blessed to spot the provincial support.

"We volition decidedly beryllium bringing a missive of proposal to assembly to enactment immoderate advocacy connected this."