City mulls corporate sponsors for subway stops

"Scotiabank Union Station" or "St. Clair West, brought to you by Pringles" could be in the cards if one Toronto councillor gets his way.

Doug Ford said the city should look at selling naming rights to Toronto Transit Commission stations.

The mayor's executive committeeplans tolook at how the city can bring in more money from the corporate sector through sponsorships and selling naming rights.

"I think everything is on the table. It's really up to the chair of the TTC to decide, but I don't really see anything wrong with it," said Ford.

TTC chairwoman Karen Stintz said it is something she is already looking at, noting that she has been in discussions with the local Business Improvement Area about how the corporate sector can help make improvements to at least one station.

Stintz said repairs are needed across the entire system, but there is no money to pay for the upgrades. She says she can't ignore ways to bring in newrevenue.

"Certainly we are open to the idea but recognize that there is an appropriate role for the private sector and naming rights on subway stations," she said.

But Coun. Joe Mihevc calls the idea "crazy."

"You're really getting into some crazy kind of thing here," he said. "These are assets that the public has paid for."

The mayor's executive council will debate the corporate sponsorship issue for the city's holdings next week.

"Sponsorships and naming rights can generate revenue for Toronto that may offset rising program and capital costs,"a report from the executive council said. "However, there are no corporate-wide policies governing sponsorships or naming rights."