Government of Canada Announces $12bn Investment Package for Toronto Subways, Hamilton Rapid Transit
On May 11, 2021, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that the Government of Canada will be committing more than $12 billion towards 5 public transit projects across the GTHA.
Approximately $10.7 billion will be going towards funding four priority subway projects in Toronto that were first announced in 2019, which are now being actively advanced by Metrolinx:
- The Ontario Line, a 15-kilometre light-rail line to run primarily underground from Ontario Place to the Ontario Science Centre;
- The Scarborough Subway Extension, an approximately 8-kilometer addition to the eastern end of TTC’s Line 2;
- The Yonge North Subway Extension, an 8-kilometer northward expansion of TTC’s Line 1 connecting Finch Station to the Richmond Hill Go Train at the Langstaff GO Station; and
- The Eglinton Crosstown West Extension, extending the Eglinton LRT westward by 9.2 kilometers from the planned Mount Dennis LRT Station to Renforth Drive.
In Hamilton, the Government of Canada will also be providing funding for a new rapid-transit line that will go from McMaster University through downtown to Eastgate Centennial Park in Stoney Creek.
This announcement comes in the wake of the 2019 cancellation of a planned 17-stop LRT project in Hamilton due to projected cost overruns, and a 2020 report on the proposed course of public transit development in the City. We will provide more details on the scope of this new project as it becomes available.
It is anticipated that the Hamilton project will be designated by the Province as a Priority Transit Project, as has been done for the four Toronto subway projects listed above. If this is the case, the provisions of the Building Transit Faster Act, 2020 and Transit-Oriented Communities Act, 2020 would also apply to the property acquisition program for this project. These pieces of legislation serve to modify the standard framework for expropriations provided by the Expropriations Act.
In order to facilitate the delivery of these projects, large-scale property acquisition programs are currently underway. Many property owners and businesses have found their land and interests impacted by expropriation, or have been approached regarding the purchase of land or easements under the threat of expropriation. This number will only grow as these projects move forward.
SOK is currently heavily involved in assisting landowners, homeowners, developers and tenants that are being impacted by Priority Transit Projects across the GTHA. Our firm’s 30 years of focused experience in the area of expropriation law positions us to act as trusted advisors and advocates for our clients faced with navigating this shifting legal landscape.
If you have received documentation from Metrolinx or any other public body, or wish to review the expropriation process in more detail, please contact us at any time.