Mayors meet on Important Yonge Subway Extension

At a critical meeting on April 26, the mayors of the three largest municipalities in York Region discussed how they will work co-operatively to convince Metrolinx and the Ontario Government to move the Yonge Street Subway extension forward. The meeting of Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua, City of Vaughan, Mayor Dave Barrow, Town of Richmond Hill and Mayor Frank Scarpitti, City of Markham was facilitated by the Yonge North Group, composed of three municipal councillors who have been working together for the last four years on this critical Rapid Transit project for their municipalities and the GTHA transit network.

The first step was for the mayors to call on the Province of Ontario to fund the approved Metrolinx recommendation to move forward to the next stage of the project: preliminary design and engineering.

Mayor Scarpitti addressed the importance of the Yonge Subway Extension to Hwy 7. "Currently there are over 10,000 passengers being jammed into 500 buses every single day to Finch Station said Scarpitti. The issue of capacity on the lines further south highlighted recently by Mayor John Tory is a non issue. All one has to do is read the Metrolinx report published in June 2015."

"We have come together to make a strong case in favour of strategic transit investments in the GTHA to better serve citizens and promote economic growth and jobs," stated Mayor Bevilacqua. "The Yonge Street Subway extension merits immediate consideration because the facts, figures and economic benefits provide sound and intelligent reasons for public investment. We are convinced that it will address key challenges which we collectively experience and, equally important, provide opportunities for smart growth."

"This project is shovel ready and shovel worthy," said Mayor Barrow. "It has been underway since 2008, has an approved environmental assessment and has undergone extensive public consultation. The route has been delineated as well as the stations."

An action plan, developed among the three municipalities, includes information and a blitz scheduled in May to inform transit users along the Yonge corridor of the current status of the Yonge Subway Extension, and the need to make their voices heard in support of the Federal and Provincial funding of major infrastructure projects including the Yonge Subway Extension.

Members of the Yonge North Group include, Councillor Valerie Burke, City of Markham, Councillor Godwin Chan, Town of Richmond Hill and Alan Shefman, City of Vaughan. All three councillors represent wards that are bounded by Yonge Street.