Gardiner Expressway debate: former mayor Rob Ford to vote against John Tory's plan

Former mayor and city councillor Rob Ford has said definitively he will not vote for Mayor John Tory's "hybrid" plan to restructure the Gardiner Expressway, he announced before a scheduled vote on the fate of the roadway on Thursday.

Ford supports maintaining the Gardiner as is. He had been previously listed as undecided in the vote.

There are three options up for debate in council, including maintaining the Gardiner, tearing it down, or a so-called "hybrid" plan which restructures exits around the eastern portion of the expressway. The various options can be reviewed in detail here.

"I''m not voting for the hybrid and not voting for the tear down. I'm voting for what people want," said Ford, who said he came to council against the advice of his doctors to vote. "The average person out there when you talk to them agrees with me."

Ford said the urgency around the debate — which Tory has repeatedly stressed — is unwarranted.

"There are some minor repairs that have to be done," he said. "It's not a panic."

Ford joined several council colleagues in questioning the cost of the hybrid option, which is quoted at $336 million to construct.

"The money right now? I don't believe one iota it will come in at those numbers," he said of the cost forecast.

The debate around the Gardiner continues throughout the day on Thursday.