In an exclusive interview with The Brandon Gonez Show, Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow says the Doug Ford government failed on delivering the Eglinton LRT.
In a bold move, Mayor Olivia Chow slammed Premier Doug Ford, blaming him for the ongoing delays of the Eglinton LRT and declaring it a “failure.”
Chow absolved the city of any responsibility during an interview with The Brandon Gonez Show and assured that the province and its relationship with Metrolinx are to blame for the overdue opening of the line.
“It’s a failure for Metrolinx and the Ford government,” Chow boldly said in the interview.
“I have no control. I have no idea what they are up to.”
Construction on the Eglinton LRT began in 2011, and was expected to be finished in 2020. However, a series of issues with the budget have caused the project to be repeatedly delayed. The opening date is still unconfirmed, but the latest update points to Jun. 1, 2025 as the earliest potential date for the line to be operational.
Chow says that the city has TTC staff on standby, and is just waiting on the go-ahead from Metrolinx to begin running the line.
“We have trained the TTC operators… We put money aside, the minute you open it, we will operate it,” she said.
In December, Metrolinx CEO Phil Verster stepped down from his role after seven years with the transportation agency. Following his resignation, the province appointed Michael Lindsay as the new interim-president and CEO of Metrolinx, with a “clear mandate” to open the Eglinton Crosstown as soon as possible.
“With his many years of service helping to build our great province as President and Chief Executive Officer of Infrastructure Ontario, no one is better positioned to take on this role than Michael,” Premier Ford said in a December press release.
“I have given Michael a clear mandate to open Eglinton Crosstown as soon as it is safe to do so. That is his top priority.”
The line — which has 25 stops along Eglinton Avenue from Mount Dennis Station in the west to Kennedy Station in Scarborough — is vowed to become a transit artery, linking underserved communities to the subway with faster, more reliable service, according to Metrolinx.
But businesses along the 19-kilometre route have been crushed by the devastating impact of the construction, which has caused a massive decrease in foot traffic and forced tens of dozens of storefronts to be shuttered, especially in communities such as Little Jamaica.
“Think of the trauma that construction did to all the small businesses in Eglinton,” Chow pleaded.
“This is really difficult,” she added.
However, the mayor says that the city is working closely with the York Eglinton Business Improvement Area to improve community engagement.
“We’ve been working with the young people there. We are looking to help them create some activities for young people to bring back the small businesses,” Chow said.
