1,000 signatures reached
To: Premier Doug Ford, MPP Michael Ford, Metrolinx CEO Phil Verster, Metrolinx Board Chair Donald Wright
Tell Metrolinx & Ford Government to Keep the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension Underground in YSW
York South-Weston residents deserve world class transit that doesn't destroy our parkland. We call on Metrolinx to stop their plans to build a 1.5km elevated guideway through Eglinton Flats that includes massive passenger stations over Jane Street and Scarlett Road, as part of the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension (ECWE). Metrolinx must revisit a below grade option from the February 2020 Business Case and continue tunneling the entire Light Rail Transit (LRT) line from Renforth Drive to Mount Dennis Station.
Why is this important?
• The proposed LRT expressway would run through Eglinton Flats; some of the most valuable green space in the city of Toronto. This parkland is a designated greenbelt zone that includes one of the city’s largest regional networks of sports facilities and offers an idyllic setting to enjoy nature.
• Clear cutting large swaths of mature urban forest to accommodate this elevated proposal would destroy ecologically sensitive areas, wildlife habitat and a critical wildlife corridor that connects to the Humber River System to the Eglinton Flats, Fergy Brown Park, Pearen Park, Topham Pond and Gladhurst Park. Species at risk, both Threatened and Endangered, that are protected in Canada under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), have been identified in the project area.
• In May 2021, the Federal government allocated billions of dollars to the ECWE. A fully tunnelled LRT line will provide fast speeds, less service disruptions and best cost benefit in the long term. Keeping the LRT underground is both financially viable and technically feasible. [1] [2]
• The current plan to elevate the LRT through Mount Dennis is not socially equitable or ecologically responsible. It’s comparable to running a Gardiner Expressway for LRT trains through local parks and alongside condominium residences. West of the Flats, the LRT will run underground through an affluent stretch of Etobicoke and this should continue through Mount Dennis. [3]
• With increased residential developments planned for the area and the ongoing impacts of climate crisis, it’s essential that Metrolinx stop any plans to destroy mature naturalized parkland and keep the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension underground.
• Metrolinx needs to conduct meaningful consultation and demonstrate a genuine willingness to act on concerns of communities.
This isn’t only about building better transit . . . it’s the fight against climate change and prioritizing livable cities.
Sign the petition to Keep the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension (ECWE) underground and save our parks!
[1] https://www.canada.ca/en/office-infrastructure/news/2021/05/largest-public-transit-investment-in-gta-history-will-create-jobs-and-kickstart-the-economy.html
[2] https://www.arup.com/news-and-events/billy-bishop-pedestrian-tunnel-wins-award
[3] https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2022/mm/bgrd/backgroundfile-225808.pdf
• Clear cutting large swaths of mature urban forest to accommodate this elevated proposal would destroy ecologically sensitive areas, wildlife habitat and a critical wildlife corridor that connects to the Humber River System to the Eglinton Flats, Fergy Brown Park, Pearen Park, Topham Pond and Gladhurst Park. Species at risk, both Threatened and Endangered, that are protected in Canada under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), have been identified in the project area.
• In May 2021, the Federal government allocated billions of dollars to the ECWE. A fully tunnelled LRT line will provide fast speeds, less service disruptions and best cost benefit in the long term. Keeping the LRT underground is both financially viable and technically feasible. [1] [2]
• The current plan to elevate the LRT through Mount Dennis is not socially equitable or ecologically responsible. It’s comparable to running a Gardiner Expressway for LRT trains through local parks and alongside condominium residences. West of the Flats, the LRT will run underground through an affluent stretch of Etobicoke and this should continue through Mount Dennis. [3]
• With increased residential developments planned for the area and the ongoing impacts of climate crisis, it’s essential that Metrolinx stop any plans to destroy mature naturalized parkland and keep the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension underground.
• Metrolinx needs to conduct meaningful consultation and demonstrate a genuine willingness to act on concerns of communities.
This isn’t only about building better transit . . . it’s the fight against climate change and prioritizing livable cities.
Sign the petition to Keep the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension (ECWE) underground and save our parks!
[1] https://www.canada.ca/en/office-infrastructure/news/2021/05/largest-public-transit-investment-in-gta-history-will-create-jobs-and-kickstart-the-economy.html
[2] https://www.arup.com/news-and-events/billy-bishop-pedestrian-tunnel-wins-award
[3] https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2022/mm/bgrd/backgroundfile-225808.pdf