Metrolinx's 'sanctimonious' ad campaign defending construction cost $2.25M

It cost Metrolinx $2.25 million to produce an ad campaign telling passengers to "see beyond the construction," documents reveal.

The ads, which people reported seeing last fall and which the Ontario transit agency says stopped airing in January, were heavily criticized online — even spawning popular parodies.

In one of the advertisements, one woman tells another: "This Metrolinx construction is killing me." The other woman then says, "I know, right?" The woman proceeds to list all the reasons construction is necessary, like better transit and fewer cars.

On a Reddit thread, users called the ads "snarky," "sanctimonious," "obnoxious," "pointless," "shocking" and "awful," among other descriptors. 

The transit agency said the $2.25 million includes production of the ads across nine languages, as well as distribution and agency fees.

Jennifer French, the Ontario NDP transportation critic, said the ads diminished legitimate concerns people had been raising about Metrolinx construction, which has sprung up across the city and in some cases faced years-long delays.

"That is $2.25 million more than should have been spent to condescend to the public," French said.

"I imagine that Metrolinx, if they had tried, could have found a better way to spend that money." 

In a statement, Metrolinx said it made the ads to "generate debate and discussion" around the construction while demonstrating the long-term benefits of transit. The agency said it has the "utmost respect" for communities impacted by construction. 

CBC Toronto asked Metrolinx for the cost of the campaign in January but the agency refused to share it. The number was revealed through a freedom of information request. 

Ads were pulled from Metrolinx YouTube channel

In the second ad, which featured high school aged boys, one said new transit could take them to the movies, hockey or a friend's basement.

French says Torontonians have not been waiting years to use transit so they can hang out with friends. 

"People don't use transit as a luxury. Most of the time they use transit because they depend on it," she said. "People cannot make and keep doctor's appointments because they can't depend on transit, they can't get to work or to school."'

The timing of the ads was a bit unusual, said David Soberman, a professor of marketing at the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management. 

"Usually when you put out ads like this, it's because you're coupling it with some good news about something which is about to open," he said. 

About a month before the ads were posted, Metrolinx did provide an update on one of its major projects, the Eglinton LRT. At the time, CEO Phil Verster said he wasn't comfortable sharing an opening date for the line last slated to be up and running in fall 2022.

Coun. Parthi Kandavel, whose Scarborough riding stands to benefit from the Eglinton LRT, said the $2.25 million could have been better used to meet with residents to actually hear their concerns about how construction is impacting them. 

"Taxpayer dollars should be prudently spent and not on defending a reputation that is — the facts speak for themselves — incredibly hard to defend," he said.

According to an archived version of the transit agency's YouTube channel, two "See beyond" ads were uploaded on Oct. 25. The ads have since been removed from the channel following online backlash.

"The fact that they've gone black with the ads now raises some real concerns," Soberman said.

Ads spawn parodies

After seeing the ads in a movie theatre, Toronto-based actor and comedian Rodrigo Fernandez-Stoll decided to make parodies of them.

"I've never heard the entire theatre groan all at once," he said. 

Warning, parody ad contains strong language:

Fernandez-Stoll made two parody ads. In one, a woman complains about the delays and another replies that "all of this is so much better for the environment."

Alluding to the Eglinton LRT, the woman who complained says she's been waiting 13 years. Then the other woman slaps her, before a Metrolinx logo pops into frame. 

"[With the slap], we were just trying to say, shut the F up," he said. "That's what Metrolinx was saying to us."