Transit Priority List Expands
Statement from Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti
Transit priority list expands – wait continues for federal dollars for Yonge North Subway Extension
The provincial government has expanded their transit priority list. The province now has five projects, including the Yonge North Subway Extension, awaiting federal funding.
I want to reiterate that the Yonge North Subway Extension, York Region’s top transit infrastructure project, should not take a back seat to any other transit project in Canada. It is one of the most studied and justified transit projects in the country and we cannot wait any longer to get shovels in the ground.
There is currently no federal funding commitment for the Yonge North Subway Extension. In 2018, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau signed a shovel showing his support to begin construction of the subway extension in this current term. We appreciate the federal government’s focus on transit infrastructure.
In last year’s Fall Economic Statement, Deputy Prime Minister and Federal Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland indicated the federal government would deploy a stimulus program valued at $100 billion over three years. Infrastructure investment will be key to economic recovery and the Yonge North Subway Extension is an ideal project to kick-start the economy and advance the government’s climate change targets. The impact of this project is significant. It will support more than 60,000 jobs and reduce our carbon footprint, saving over 13 tonnes of greenhouse emissions per workday.
We are seeking a firm commitment to the Yonge North Subway Extension in the upcoming federal budget so we can get shovels in the ground on this transformational, environmentally sustainable and long-awaited infrastructure project. We need the necessary federal investment in key transit infrastructure. I call on the federal government to earmark the Yonge North Subway Extension for funding, similarly to the recently announced Réseau express métropolitain station at the Montreal Airport.
While I appreciate additional projects are being considered for federal funding, I stress the importance of investing in this critical rapid transit project for York Region and the GTA. The Yonge North Subway Extension needs to go from the pages of a budget book to shovels in the ground in this current federal and provincial term.
York Region awaits federal dollars to move this project forward.