Eglinton Crosstown LRT – Jun 30 public meeting

Eglinton Crosstown LRT -Public Meeting,  Thursday, June 30, 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m at the York Civic Centre.

 

There was a great turn-out from the community  (70+ people from my count) to listen to the Metrolinx / TTC presentation regarding the Eglinton Crosstown LRT.  Minister of Transportation Kathleen Wynne,  MPP Laura Albanese, Councillor Frances Nunziata and Councillor Frank Di Giorgio, TTC Director Anna Pace,  and Metrolinx VP Rapid Transit Development Jack Collins were on the panel to present and answer questions.

 

They used much of the same material that we saw at our community meeting on Jun 9,  highlighting the start of construction for the Blackcreek to Laird section,  Presto card and follow on Enivironmental Assessments for Blackcreek to Jane,  and Laird to Scarborough town centre.

 

There were a number of questions and comments from community members.  All had general support for the project, excited to see a much needed improvement in the cooridor.     The main areas of concern for the project were:

1. Improvements for business and streetscape on Eglinton
1. Answers included – shop local programs,  consultation, community lead group – Eglinton 2020 invites participation at their July 5 meeting  (see events)
2. What is actually going to happen between Blackcreek and Jane
1. Statements from Councillor Nunziata and Metrolinx VP Jack Collings indicate that the line is going to end at Jane,  just need to do futher engineering and assessment work to determine what it will look like.   Preliminary work on this is underway and formal EA should take about 9 months beginning in 2012.  
2. Anyone who is concerned with the current status of their houses or businesses on the routre - especially if they are interested in selling – should contact Metrolinx VP Dina Glaser
3. Kodak lands redevelopment – mixed opinion on how transit hub or works yard is going to provide employment and improvements to the area
1. The former Kodak employee building is being included in the plans for the area  – suggestion such as part of an integrated transit hub were mentioned
2. The land is owned by Metrus (not TTC or Metrolinx) so negotions are ongoing.  The final design will be part of a future Environmental assessment.  MDCA understands  that the former proposal from Metrus regarding a retail centre has been withdrawn
4. Employment opportunities – especially for local residents
1. Overall  8000 jobs are expected to be created to build the line.   No specific training or hiring programs targeting local residents has been proposed 

If you participated in the meeting, we would love to have your opinions and comments on what was presented