It’s been almost 8 years since John Yakabuski, Christine Hogarth, Kinga Surma, Steve Clark and Phil Verster came to Mimico GO Station to announce their Mimico Transit-Oriented Community (TOC) plans with Vandyk.
The 2018 press release started with “Ontario’s Government for the People is keeping its promise to build transit and make Ontario open for business by working with the private sector to build commuters a new, modern station at Mimico GO.“
“… keeping our promise to open Ontario for business and increase housing …”, said Minister Clark.
“It also makes good business sense. Metrolinx continues to be open to innovative, joint approaches with the private sector that reduce the cost to taxpayers and also provide efficient, safe and affordable transportation options.” said Verster (Metrolinx President and CEO)
Big promises. Let’s check what’s been achieved – almost 8 years later.
What did the ‘Transit-Oriented Community’ (TOC) and related land zoning (MZO) by the Ontario Government achieve in Mimico?
Got housing built? ❌
Improved train station? ❌
Reduced the cost to taxpayers? ❌
Uplifted land value for a few owners? ✅
Not only did we not get what was promised, it seems like because of that TOC, Metrolinx deferred the Accessibility Tunnel Project they have been working on since ~2016 (see plans here), which would have brought a desperately needed second tunnel with elevators by 2023.
Last year we worked on a petition with MPP Lee Fairclough to bring attention to the issue and hundreds of residents signed. Since then, we believe that Metrolinx is planning a tunnel (again) but they won’t provide an estimated completion date.
What does the Ontario taxpayer think about having paid for planning that tunnel from 2016 to 2018 and now to pay for it again? How much will construction cost these days compared to 2018?
We used to at least have ONE tunnel, now we are down to HALF.
What can we do?
Metrolinx is a Provincial Agency, and the Province can use Minister’s Zoning Orders (MZOs) to override City zoning, leaving the City with limited bargaining power.
However, a TOC report recently came through City Hall, and we took the opportunity to submit a letter to create awareness that it’s been almost 8 years since the Mimico TOC was announced by the Province of Ontario with nothing to show for it.
Councillor Morley succeeds with motion at City Hall
At the above mentioned City Council Meeting, Councillor Amber Morley went further and got a motion approved directing the city manager, in consultation with the Director of Transportation Planning, to request an update from Infrastructure Ontario and Metrolinx on the status of the Mimico GO station, any plans for a future TOC at that location, and an outline of the risk assessment practices undertaken before entering into a TOC.
Watch the video or read what we transcribed below.
How did we get here?
Councillor Morley (transcribed by us from video): “Residents have been left with a station first built in 1967 that includes limited customer access and insufficient parking, along with a large neighbouring hole in the ground where a housing development should have been. We not only had one developer go into receivership — we actually had two developers start and stop over the last decade. And our community has been waiting all along for the necessary and promised improvements, including accessibility upgrades to a very well-used station at Mimico GO.
While communities benefit from successful TOC public-private partnerships, the potential loss for communities when they are unsuccessful — which we have repeatedly seen — is very significant. Future TOCs need to emerge only after a rigorous risk assessment, to ensure that communities aren’t left with unfulfilled promises and that partners are able to deliver on the complete communities that were planned and agreed to. This continues to be a sore point in my community, and Mimico GO is just scratching the surface.”
What about Park Lawn GO?
Councillor Morley (transcribed by us from video): “We’ve heard from colleagues about — and we’ve chatted and debated at length — the Waterfront East LRT, and the incredibly large and robust community that’s going to be coming to that area and needs to be well served by transit. In Etobicoke-Lakeshore and the Humber Bay Shores community, the community has already arrived. We have significant density and significant development that has all been predicated on a complete community served by higher-order transit that does not yet exist.”
The motion carried – maybe Infrastructure Ontario and Metrolinx will give the city an update?
MPP Fairclough also sent a letter regarding Park Lawn GO to Acting Infrastructure Minister Todd McCarthy and Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria in response to the news that the developer is pausing work on Park Lawn GO station as they review their development plans.
What’s next?
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We have invited Metrolinx to come to Mimico and share their plans for our station with us.
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We are organizing the Mimico Transit Forum during National AccessAbility Week to raise awareness of the pain the deferral of bringing step-free access to Mimico platforms has caused. June 2, more info to follow.
