Toronto Mayor John Tory says public transit key to fighting climate change

Toronto mayor John Tory emphatically declared that Toronto will continue to invest inpublic transit to help fight climate change.

"Build more public transit," Tory repliedwhen asked byCBC News Network'sPower & Politics guest hostHannah Thibedeauif there's one commitment the city is preparedto make to battle climate change. "What we need is to get people out of cars and offer them a viable transit system."

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Tory and a delegation from Toronto heads toCOP21, the global climate-changesummit underway just outside Paris, on Wednesday.

Earlier this week, Tory said he believed the best way forPrime Minister JustinTrudeauand Premier KathleenWynne to honour their commitment to fight climate changeis "to fund Toronto's priorities, including building transit, repairing and retrofitting of Toronto CommunityHousing"and to invest "in our infrastructure so we can further reduce our carbon emissions and conserve energy."

Tory reiterated his comment on Power & Politics.

"I hope we're going to get some help with thatbecause that's consistent withwhat the current governmentsaid during the electioncampaign," he said.

Tory also said the city is committed to building more separated bike lanes downtown.

Earlier this year, the city reported that the overallcycling volume on Richmond, Simcoe and Adelaide has tripledsince separated lanes were added.

On Friday, Tory said, "The gathering of global mayors in Paris is happening because the impact of climate issues will be felt in our cities, and that is also where solutions will be found."

Trudeauhas promised to work out a national climate change strategy with the Canadian premiers 90 days after the summit.