The Ford authorities is pushing the province’s largest metropolis to think about handing a significant subway contract to an Ontario firm, bypassing the aggressive bidding course of, amid tariff threats from the US.
Toronto is at present within the midst of an pressing procurement course of to purchase 55 desperately wanted new vehicles to run on its Bloor-Danforth subway line, an expense each the federal and provincial governments are serving to to pay.
The town had been planning to open up bidding for the contract to all certified corporations, however Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria has now written to the native authorities asking them to alter course.
“I’m requesting that the Metropolis of Toronto acknowledge this historic alternative and contemplate a sole-source procurement with Alstom, which might assist Ontario employees in Thunder Bay and throughout our province,” Sarkaria stated in a letter.
The letter is a part of a broader push by the provincial authorities to chop U.S. corporations out of the provision chain in response to tariffs and threats of additional financial sanctions from President Donald Trump.
When the now months-long tariff battle with the US started within the spring, Ontario Premier Doug Ford introduced that his authorities would cancel a contract with Elon Musk’s Starlink firm, take away U.S. alcohol from the cabinets of the LCBO and ban American corporations from provincial authorities contracts.

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On the time, he urged cities to do the identical. He repeated the request on Thursday after a speech in downtown Toronto.
“If we’re gonna purchase trains, to the most effective of our means, let’s purchase right here in Canada and ideally proper right here in Ontario,” he stated.
The provincial suggestion hasn’t been welcomed with open arms by leaders at metropolis corridor, who identified the request for proposals had already closed. They stated altering course might value extra.
“After all, we’d like to preserve the work in Ontario, however then we’d want the provincial authorities to step up and pay the additional,” Coun. Dianne Sax, who sits on the TTC board, stated.
“The entire level about sole-sourcing is it tends to get you not the most effective deal. It’s competitors that will get the most effective deal.”
Coun. Josh Matlow, who has been a fierce critic of the Ford authorities, stated it was hypocritical for Ford to make the suggestion.
“He’s all the time admonished (anybody) who may contemplate a sole-sourced contract,” he stated. “Now, in terms of rails, he’s demanding it.”
Lengthy earlier than the tariff risk, in 2022, the Ford authorities opted to not give the contract to construct trains for its Ontario Line to Alstom in Thunder Bay, choosing Hitachi as a substitute.
Alstom confirmed to World Information that its bid to construct Ontario Line trains was unsuccessful.
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow provided little perception into what she considered the thought of sole-sourcing subway vehicles as a tariff response.
“We’ll work collaboratively with the province and assess the feasibility of their request,” she stated in a press release.
— With information from World Information’ Matthew Bingley
© 2025 World Information, a division of Corus Leisure Inc.
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