Updated: Wed Aug. 30 2006 7:25:25 PM

CTV.ca News Staff

Toronto Transit Commission members voted unanimously in favour of a controversial contract to buy subway trains Wednesday afternoon, despite an afternoon of debate at city hall.

The deal to buy 39 subway trains, made up of 234 cars, exclusively from Bombardier has touched off fireworks at city council.

The $710 million contract was not put through the usual tendering process. Critics of the deal said the absence of competitive bids could cost the city millions. At least one competitor claimed the order could be filled for $100 million less.

The TTC decided to go with a so-called sole source bid in an effort to keep jobs associated with manufacturing the trains in Ontario.

Some presenters at the meeting offered support for the transit commission's decision.

"A buy-Canadian policy that puts Canadians first when you're spending Canadian taxpayer's dollars, what is wrong with that," Paul Forder of the Canadian Auto Workers union said. "My god, you should be saluted for this."

The trains will be manufactured at Bombardier's facility in Thunder Bay, Ont. A group of people joined with that city's mayor to argue that keeping the work in Ontario is a socially responsible thing to do.

But not everyone agreed. Toronto city councillor Karen Stintz argued that the sole source contract was not the best bang for the city's buck.

"There are many opportunities that would present themselves as attractive sole source opportunities. This is not one of them," Stintz said.

Several city councillors demanded that the transit commission put the contract out for tenders to find the best possible price.

Even after Wednesday's vote, the approved deal is not yet set in stone. The plan must now go before city council to get confirmation for the expenditure.

With a report from CTV's Alicia Kay-Markson