Transit Realignment Update

At today’s meeting (March 27), City Council discussed transit realignment. The item before Council, Engagement with the Province on Toronto’s Transit System – First Quarter 2019 Status Report, is available here.

As we move forward, you will start hearing more about the status of discussions and about individual projects, and it’s a priority for me to keep you informed beyond what you see in the media.

Over the past several days, provincial special advisor Michael Lindsay sent letters to City Manager Chris Murray and me outlining the Province’s intentions around four key subway expansion projects. You can find Mr. Lindsay’s letters online:

These letters were attached to a supplementary report that updates the public and City Council on the details on the public consultation plan, as well as an update on the discussions with the Province since the Status Report (linked above) was released.

It should be noted that the first provincial letter had some erroneous information and these errors were corrected by the City and the TTC, which resulted in the release of a clarifying letter, also attached here. Staff have worked to correct errors before they were reported in the media.

This Tuesday, the City will release a report that was prepared in close collaboration with the TTC. It will provide an update on all of the expansion projects that have been prioritized by Council. That report will go to the City’s Executive Committee on April 9, to the TTC Board on April 11, and to Council on April 16.

We will forward the report as soon as it is publicly released.

I know that many of you feel a sense of uncertainty as these discussions move forward. I am committed to transparency as much as possible and will continue to provide you with information throughout the process.

In the meantime, I want to thank you for the hard work you do, and ask that you continue to provide excellent service to our customers as we keep this city moving.

Richard J. Leary
Chief Executive Officer
March 27, 2019