Humber-Happenings-Magazine-Spring-2016

COMMUNITY ACTION
TOWN HALL
MEETING MINUTES
Minister of Transportation
Steven Del Duca (right)
attended the Town Hall
meeting to discuss Etobicoke transit
priorities. The meeting was hosted by Etobicoke-Lakeshore
MPP Peter Milczyn (left)
and Etobicoke Centre MPP Yvan Bake.
Leslie Woo, Chief Planning Officer of
Metrolinx, was also present.
ON FEBRUARY 3, 2016 Minister Del Duca
related that “We find ourselves in an era
simultaneously trying to catch up and
keep up, because for too long... governments
at all levels and of all stripes didn’t
make the difficult decisions to make sure
that we continue to build the road,
highway and bridge infrastructure, and
continue to expand our public transit to
give people options with respect to
leaving their cars at home.”
TO THIS DON HENDERSON, President of
HBSCA remarked that one of the results
of that indecision, is the “terrible”
gridlock around the Humber Bay Shores
community — a 2.5-km strip of “crunching
roadway” that will likely house up
to 35 condominiums and 30,000 people
before its development boom is over.
“Knowing the tax base of 2.5 km of vertical
living, I just wonder if we really have
a GO stop in mind as a priority for this
area (Park Lawn)?” Henderson asked Del
Duca. “We’re terribly under-serviced
there, and we really sorely need a better
transit system in the area to get people
out of their cars. I know every jurisdiction
has their own wish list, but I’m expecting
that a serious look is given to Humber Bay
Shores area.”
THAT SENTIMENT was echoed by both
Michael Olivier, head of the transit subcommittee
with Our Place Initiative, and
Craig White, managing editor of urbantoronto.ca;
“I know there cannot be
enough speakers lined up here tonight to
underline how important a Humber Bay
station is for GO,” White said. “There is no
potential site along the Lake Shore West
GO line that has more density already
added to it, with more still coming, than
this one spot.”
IN RESPONSE, Del Duca said he’s well
aware of the dramatic changes that have
taken place in that pocket of Etobicoke in
recent years, and noted that Park Lawn is
on an “immediate shortlist” of 50 sites
Metrolinx is currently analysing as potential
new GO stations. MPP Milczyn has
assured HBSCA that he will be working on
securing a Park Lawn Station.
HH
6 HUMBER HAPPENINGS | SPRING 2016 HUMBERBAYSHORES.ORG