Getting Etobicoke Transit Back on Track - by Councillor Mark Grimes, seconded by Councillor Stephen Holyday

Decades of planning from all three levels of government encouraged the transformation of a derelict motel strip into a vibrant, and densely populated waterfront community in Etobicoke-Lakeshore. The buildout occurred much faster than anticipated, and investment in transit to serve this community has not kept pace with the growth. Despite significant transit achievements over the last few years, we're still playing catch-up. Now, Etobicoke-Lakeshore is facing even more intense development pressure. The Six Points cluster of Dundas, Bloor, and Kipling has been completely redesigned with the intention of urbanizing this new Etobicoke Centre, replacing the dated car-centric infrastructure with a transit-oriented landscape that includes approximately 2,500 new residential units. Two of the City's Housing Now sites are in Ward 3, with a combined goal to construct over 3,500 residential units starting this year. There are over twelve active applications proposing over 3,500 new residential units along The Queensway. The historic Cloverdale Mall will soon be demolished to make way for a multi-tower mixed-use community for approximately 4,000 new residents. Dundas Street West is designated a strategic growth area in the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe. A Secondary Plan approved in 2019 envisions approximately 13,000 new residents around Sherway Mall and the immediate area, with local developers pushing for even more at the Ontario Land Tribunal. South Etobicoke will be virtually unrecognizable in the next ten to twenty years. The development is already planned, so now is the time to plan the transit that will serve it. The Bloor-Danforth (Line 2) Westerly Subway Extension to Sherway Gardens is listed in Toronto's Official Plan and has been protected for through development along the proposed route, and the 1991 Environmental Assessment remains active. We cannot wait to plan this vital transit route - we have an obligation to the residents of Etobicoke to start now. Significant Provincial and City investment in transit projects is improving and expanding Toronto's transit network to respond to growth across the City and region. In addition to the current City and Provincial priority projects, City Council has identified a broader range of projects to further develop Toronto's transit network. The Transit Expansion Office and City Planning Division, in partnership with the Toronto Transit Commission, will report to City Council in the first quarter of 2023 with an update on this fuller list of transit projects.

related to timing and approach to the Bloor Danforth (Line 2) Westerly Extension to Sherway, as part of the planned broader transit network update report.