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Attachment Re: FW: Important Developments on the Ontario Line Rail Expansion Project

  • Ontario Line Project
  • Author: Administrator on behalf of Lakeshore East, Community Advisory Committee (LSE CAC)
  • Reference number: 165
  • Submitted: 2021-04-09
  • We are excited to bring to your attention another important new development on the Ontario Line project and our Request to Designate the Ontario Project, #81350, under the Impact Assessment Act.   Toronto City Council passed a motion last night endorsing our request and has been directed to send a letter to Minister Wilkinson and Minister McKenna showing their support. The Motion MM33.12, will be published tomorrow on the City Council website for April 7 & 8th:   ...
  • Attachment included
  • Riverside Corridor goes UNDER ground to the north New GO Regional Express Rail added to existing right of way Proposed Ontario Line UNDER Ground Section (north of Riverdale Ave.) Riverside Corridor goes ABOVE ground to the west • Analysis and consultation complete for section under Carlaw Ave. • No tunneling under the Don River – considerable cost savings • Utilizes industrial land not park land Ontario Line Riverside Corridor (Endorsed by Save Jimmy Simpson and LSE CAC) East Harbour Development site Ontario Line tracks re-aligned to south side of GO Line and goes above ground Portal at Pape School NOT needed Alignment of Previously Approved Downtown Relief Line Proposed Station Ontario Line GO Regional Express Rail Route of Previously Approved Downtown Relief Line

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Attachment Save our neighbourhood

  • Ontario Line Project
  • Author: Administrator on behalf of Unknown
  • Reference number: 175
  • Submitted: 2021-04-02
  •   To whom it may concern,   As a resident of leslieville I am directly impacted by the outcome of how the Ontario line will flow through my community. I can tell you first hand leslieville is full of growing families , you cannot walk down the street without seeing 3 or more strollers or kids walking with their parents.    We have limited green space as it is. Our community is already at its maximum level of noise pollution with current transit and traffic. A current look at the air pollution map will show our neighborhood is saturated with pollution. A decision to take away more green space in order to save costs on putting the Ontario line underground in our community is a big mistake.    Not to mention the impact to surrounding wildlife.   The home I live in is over 100 years old, this is a very old community. Even though there is no official status I'm sure most of the neighborhood could make heritage status. It would be wrong to destroy this community.   I sincerely hope the results of your assessment ...

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Attachment Important Developments on the Ontario Line Rail Expansion Project

  • Ontario Line Project
  • Author: Administrator on behalf of Lakeshore East, Community Advisory Committee (LSE CAC)
  • Reference number: 166
  • Submitted: 2021-03-26
  • We are writing to you to alert the IAAC about an important new development on the Ontario Line project and our Request to Designate the Ontario Project, #81350, under the Impact Assessment Act.   Our Community Advisory Committee was informed at our meeting with Metrolinx last night, Thursday, March, 26th, that they will be realigning the Ontario Line tracks to the west side of our railway 'Joint Corridor' section in Riverside-Leslieville. The tracks were originally planned and assessed to run on either side of the rail corridor and now they are moving this alignment to the west side adjacent to each other. Additionally, they will be moving the track that is currently on the corridor, over to the east side to accommodate their alignment change. This realignment will have new and large impacts for the surrounding community to the west side, and needs to be freshly studied and reassessed in their Environmental Conditions Report.   ...

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Attachment Ontario Line Concerns

  • Ontario Line Project
  • Author: Administrator on behalf of Jordan Dewit
  • Reference number: 174
  • Submitted: 2021-03-23
  •   Dear elected officials representing me and my family.  I have serious concerns about the Ontario Line and the above ground portions running through my neighborhood, Leslieville. I understand and support the expansion of public transportation. But I also support long term thinking about any infrastructure projects that will cost millions of dollars. The current plan demonstrates short term thinking and will have dire consequences for the residents of our community, our BIA and what we have to offer to the rest of our GTA community.    You have the ability to make Toronto a better place. That's what you were elected for. Lets not compromise on the vision. Please consider burying the Ontario Line to mitigate the impact on our city.  Sincerely, Jordan Dewit <personal information removed>

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Attachment Impact Assessment

  • Ontario Line Project
  • Author: Jeremiah Groen
  • Reference number: 144
  • Submitted: 2021-03-18 - 8:25 PM
  • This project is short sighted in nature and does not align with the liveability targets of a growing city. With a projected growth rate of 25%, ensuring a liveable and welcoming space for Torontonians is of utmost importance. Calm park space, berief of the constant drone of subways is critical to this. The residential neighbourhoods adjacent to the line cannot survive with this type of intrusion. Furthermore, the sequelae of the Ontario line has not been studied with a thorough impact assessment. The call for this study has been ignored and this shows disregard for those the line impacts. As a physician I see the health impacts of an above ground ontario line. Namely, dhildren will be undully impacted through noise pollution, lack of nature space and increase in regional pollution.  We have an opportunity to make this city infinitely better than it already is, bury the Ontario Line! Improve neighbourhoods and keep the population healthier.

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Attachment Ontario Line above ground through Riverside and Leslieville, Toronto

  • Ontario Line Project
  • Author: Jon Bankson
  • Reference number: 143
  • Submitted: 2021-03-16 - 8:20 PM
  • We the undersigned, living in very close proxmity to the above project, would like to express our concern that Metrolinx has not done a thorough assessment of the health and safety impacts upon our community.  While we support public transportation we believe that the above ground version will have a deleterious short and long term effect and that it is being  pushed ahead by the provincial government for political reasons. With respect, Jon Bankson Susi Lessing 107 De Grassi St. Toronto

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Attachment Metrolinx's plan for Riverside/Leslieville is unacceptable and shortsighted

  • Ontario Line Project
  • Author: Stephanie Copp
  • Reference number: 142
  • Submitted: 2021-03-14 - 1:06 PM
  • Dear Minister Wilkinson, I have been disheartened to see the original plans for the much-needed Ontario Line now has an above ground rail link planned through two of Toronto’s oldest and most diverse neighbourhoods - Leslieville and Riverside. I would plead that you review this proposal and insist that a federal impact assessment be done before any actions are taken. The plans for SIX parallel rail lines will effectively ruin both neighbourhoods. It will build a huge divide separating the east end from the balance of the city to the west of us, decimate our trees, eliminate six parks, endanger the health and quality of life for those unfortunate enough to find them selves suddenly living alongside these new tracks – many of whom will not be in a position to move away from the estimated 800+ trains a day that will rumble by their homes spewing noise and air pollution in their wake.   This short-sighted view needs to be revised and rethought immediately. If burying the Eglinton Line was good enough for the Leaside neighbourhood, then burying the Ontario Line should be good enough for Riverdale/Leslieville. Metrolinx’s “easy” solution is anything but. This plan will see dozens of new bridges needing to be build, the destruction of ALL our parks, the expropriation of swaths of private homes, the clear cutting of old growth trees, the massive disruption of core east/west transit lines like the Queen and Gerrard streetcar routes.  Do you really want your legacy to include ...

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Attachment Ontario: A Place to Bully?

  • Ontario Line Project
  • Author: James Oldfield
  • Reference number: 141
  • Submitted: 2021-03-09 - 8:44 PM
  • People in Toronto and across Ontario need federal support to blunt the Ford government’s unilateral approach to transit development. Residents, business owners and other community members have raised concerns about transit and development projects in cities, suburbs and rural areas in many parts of the province. Too many of those concerns have gone unaddressed, because the provincial government has changed or introduced legislation to undermine transit planning or abused the process of ministerial zoning orders. The Ontario Line project is a potentially disastrous case in point. People who live and work near the proposed line feel unheard and have little sense of how it could be integrated into the community — because the environmental impact assessment on the project is still unpublished. The assessment is unpublished because the government’s recent legislation, Bill 171 (Building Transit Faster Act), has sped up, divided and weakened the environmental review process. That bill also enables ‘early works’ construction to start months before the assessment is complete, totally undermining respectful and meaningful consultation with the local community. The provincial government's approach is dictatorial and undemocratic.  The federal Minister of Environment and Climate Change should designate the Ontario Line Project under the Impact Assessment Act.  

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Attachment Metrolinx Ontario Line

  • Ontario Line Project
  • Author: Kathrin Bohr
  • Reference number: 140
  • Submitted: 2021-03-09 - 2:38 PM
  • To Whom It May Concern, Attached please find a letter from the ABC Residents Association regarding the Metrolinx Ontario Line.
  • Attachment included
  • ABCRA, P.O. Box 83519, 87 Avenue Road, Toronto ON, Canada, M5R 3T6 The Honorable Johnathan Wilkinson Minister of Environment and Climate Change House of Commons Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0A6 RE: Metrolinx Ontario Line March 9, 2021 Dear Minister Wilkinson, The ABC Residents Association is a volunteer organization committed to enhancing the quality of life in our neighbourhood through active participation in municipal issues. We serve the residents living in Toronto’s Yorkville / North Midtown community between Yonge Street west to Avenue Road and Bloor Street north to the CPR tracks. The Ontario Line is critically needed infrastructure in this city, and we are supportive of the addition of public transit to alleviate congestion at the Bloor-Yonge interchange. We also recognize the need to better connect communities like Thorncliffe Park, currently underserved by mass transit. That said, we believe it is critically important to acknowledge that at present, the line, as proposed, plans to run above ground through one of the most vibrant communities in the city (Leslieville) and may have significant impact on that neighbourhood. Therefore, we support the call for all necessary environmental assessments and due diligence practices, including a robust community consultation process. Sincerely, John Caliendo Ian Carmichael ABCRA Co-Chairs CC: Save Jimmie Simpson & Lakeshore East Community Advisory Committee The Right Honourable Chrystia Freeland Councillor Mike Layton

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Attachment Ontario Line

  • Ontario Line Project
  • Author: Vivian Ropchan
  • Reference number: 139
  • Submitted: 2021-03-08 - 10:32 PM
  • I am writing to express my dismay at the proposed Ontario line being above ground in various parts of the city.  I have lived in Toronto for most of my life and in Riverside since 2001.  I have used the TTC for over 50 years and support enhanced transit in the city.   Since the relief line was first proposed I have attended and participated in numerous meetings in the community.  There were many discussions about viable routes and where transit stations could be sensibly placed without having a significant, negative impact on the community.  There were discussions about the environmental assessments that would be carried out.   Ultimately it was decided that in the area south of Gerrard Street tunnelling under Carlaw Avenue made the most sense.  Carlaw is wider than other streets in the area and has more room for development which the transit line would help to support.   This decision was reached after studies were performed and extensive community engagement, leading to a plan which made sense to members of the community.   The  sudden decision to move sections of the subway above ground ignores the impact this will have on the community.  The area has a number of green spaces that are utilized by parents with children, dog walkers, visitors to the area and others.  Over the years that I have lived here local parks have been used for events such as children’s birthday parties, movie nights, snowball fights and playgrounds.  These are parks where folks play ball and frisbee with their own and neighbourhood children.  They allow a connection to our neighbours and promote the sense of community ...

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Attachment Health and Safety First

  • Ontario Line Project
  • Author: Jennifer Fang
  • Reference number: 138
  • Submitted: 2021-03-08 - 9:09 PM
  • I agree the Minister of Environment and Climate Change should designate the Ontario Line pursuant to section 9 of the Impact Assessment Act (IAA). I disagree with Bill 171, which undermines due process, and allows “early works” to move ahead before an Environmental Impact Assessment is complete. I am concerned about the safety of the proposed 6 track corridor running through neighborhoods without sufficient setback. I do not believe Metrolinx has seriously measured or studied the noise and vibration generated by the planned 45-minute train frequency from 6 tracks of RER and Ontario Line trains, and the long-term impacts on human health and residential homes. In an area already identified as having one of Toronto’s lowest parkland per capita, the proposed Ontario Line will reduce the significant green space of 6 existing parks. Allowing this to happen in neighborhoods with increasing densification makes no sense.   

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Attachment In favour of full impact and environmental assessment of the Ontario Line

  • Ontario Line Project
  • Author: Lu Na
  • Reference number: 137
  • Submitted: 2021-03-08 - 2:19 PM
  • The original plan was for the Ontario Line to be an underground subway line. Metrolinx has changed this to an above ground rail line, cutting through many communities, with little or no consultation with the local residents, businesses and schools that an above ground rail line would impact. I have been following Metrolinx's invitations for community engagement for the past year, and it seems that they only use those opportunities to talk about what they're going to do, and not actually allow for public consultation. The current plan has the rail line taking over the land belonging to a community centre that serves underprivileged youth; it would encroach on land that is currently an elementary school; it would significantly increase the amount of train traffic, and hence noise and pollution, along a fairly quiet rail line. What is the impact on human health? On wildlife? On community services? Bill 171 allows construction to take place before the Environmental Impact Assessment is published. This is nonsense! Construction should not begin unless we understand the risks and effects of such a rail line, and give those affected by it, an opportunity to provide their input. In addition, given that we are still in a pandemic and that demand for transit is generally reduced, the postponement of the Ontario Line to allow for proper impact and environmental assessments makes sense at this time.

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Attachment Ontario Line

  • Ontario Line Project
  • Author: Sarah Croft
  • Reference number: 136
  • Submitted: 2021-03-07 - 8:44 PM
  • Dear Minister Wilkinson, as has been pointed out by many others on this registry, we are in dire need of an Impact Assessment of the Ontario Line by the Federal government, specifically the above ground section that runs through the Riverside and Leslieville neighbourhoods. Metrolinx has been underhanded in their dealings with this community to date and Federal oversight is needed to ensure the safety of our neighbourhoods and environment. Metrolinx has taken shortcuts on the Environmental Assessment (EA) of the above ground portion of the line and have outright dismissed or ignored public and municipal concerns surrounding noise, vibration, safety setback distance and other. It is clear that Metrolinx has no desire of addressing any of these valid concerns and instead has taken a stance to not participate in community outreach altogether. Bill 171 allows construction to take place before an Environmental Impact Assessment has been published and this only serves to mute the voice of this community in their fight to protect their neighbourhoods. This is why we need the Federal government to “designate” the Ontario Line. We need you to hold Metrolinx accountable and ensure things are done right because without that, this neighbourhood will be a shell of its former self.    We are for public transit but it should be done right and it should be underground.    Sincerely,  Sarah Croft

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Attachment Ontario Line Should be Underground

  • Ontario Line Project
  • Author: David Edwards
  • Reference number: 135
  • Submitted: 2021-03-07 - 8:38 PM
  • Dear Minister Wilkinson, as has been pointed out by many others on this registry, we are in dire need of an Impact Assessment of the Ontario Line by the Federal government, specifically the above ground section that runs through the Riverside and Leslieville neighbourhoods. Metrolinx has been underhanded in their dealings with this community to date and Federal oversight is needed to ensure the safety of our neighbourhoods and environment. Metrolinx has taken shortcuts on the Environmental Assessment (EA) of the above ground portion of the line and have outright dismissed or ignored public and municipal concerns surrounding noise, vibration, safety setback distance and other. It is clear that Metrolinx has no desire of addressing any of these valid concerns and instead has taken a stance to not participate in community outreach altogether. Bill 171 allows construction to take place before an Environmental Impact Assessment has been published and this only serves to mute the voice of this community in their fight to protect their neighbourhoods. This is why we need the Federal government to “designate” the Ontario Line. We need you to hold Metrolinx accountable and ensure things are done right because without that, this neighbourhood will be a shell of its former self.    We are for public transit but it should be done right and it should be underground. 

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Attachment Bury the OL in Riverside and Leslieville

  • Ontario Line Project
  • Author: Hongmei Cai
  • Reference number: 134
  • Submitted: 2021-03-07 - 6:26 PM
  • Ontario  has undermined its environmental assessment act, and the public has lost the right to appeal a flawed EA. The provincial Auditor General criticized the Ford government as having violated Ontario Environmental Bill of Rights. I ask the for the Federal intervene in this Ontario Line Project before the damage is done. The way the OL project is going is utterly dismissing the concerns of local residents and City of Toronto Council. There is no justification or rational to build the OL in Riverdale and Leslieville about the ground, and damage to the neighbourhood, including noise and air pollution, unnecessary loss of parks and trees and green space is obvious. Green space is already minimal in busy downtown area and it is senseless to lose it for no reason. 

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Attachment In support of an impact assessment of the Ontario Line

  • Ontario Line Project
  • Author: Paul Trumphour
  • Reference number: 133
  • Submitted: 2021-03-07 - 4:49 PM
  • I am writing to request that the Imact Assessment Agency of Canada (IAA) conduct an impact assessment of the Ontario line.  The Brief submitted to the IAA on behalf citizens of Riverdale by the Save Jimmie Simpson and the Lakeshore East Advisory committee provide a strong rationale for the agency to conduct an assessment.  First and foremost the issue of public safety as identified in the brief needs careful review. That people live in close proximity to the proposed expansion and that the set backs do not satisfy the recommended requirements speaks to the need for a thorough assessment. As the Brief states: Given that more than 10% of railway accidents are collisions or derailments between stations and more than 35% of all rail-related fatalities occurred within rail corridors in six urban regions, the proposed expansion of rail corridor in a densely populated urban area and the resulting loss of setback distance pose significant safety concerns. Without a thorough assessment process the Ontario Line project threatens public safety.  Thank you. 

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Attachment Save Jimmie Simpson/Bury the Ontario Line

  • Ontario Line Project
  • Author: Laura Repas
  • Reference number: 132
  • Submitted: 2021-03-07 - 4:39 PM
  • The current plan for the Ontario Line will have massive negative impacts on several old, functioning, and dense neighbourhoods in Toronto's east end. The plan will destroy parks, community centres, a wooded ravine, and the quality of life on streets where the proposed line will run. Having attended some Metrolinx meetings I found that the 'experts' and representatives presented platitudes about sound and vibration mitigation while having little to no knowledge of the areas or even grades of the land where this line would run. I have no faith that Metrolinx are operating with any sense of the needs of the neighbourhood. The tree canopy of this entire area will be affected, and the removal of these old trees on streets like Wardell, or from the ravine, will release carbon into the atmosphere in the city, making the city hotter. The loss of these trees that provide fresh air, shade, homes for animals, that store carbon, remove pollution, and even assist in flood protection, will mean the loss of these benefits in Toronto's east end. (https://treecanada.ca/resources/canadian-urban-forest-compendium/3-benefits-of-urban-forests/) We will see more flooding because of the loss of parks and trees, and we will feel the affects of air pollution more strongly. The province and city currently have a committment to increasing the tree canopy in urban areas to improve quality of air and life in cities. Needlessley removing old trees or functioning forests is a step backward in this work. A newly planted tree would take decades to provide the benefit that leaving older trees standing would. And above ground subway will also add a dangerous level of noise pollution ...

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Attachment Please reconsider funding this project as it currently stands and make proper assessments mandatory

  • Ontario Line Project
  • Author: Tiffany Merritt
  • Reference number: 131
  • Submitted: 2021-03-05 - 3:52 PM
  • I am a member of the community that lives close to the line in Leslieville near Jimmie Simpson Park. I feel very concerned about the lives & health of my family and my neighbours in the community, as well as the environmental impact from having 6 lines of noisy, polluting train traffic due to the proposed above ground Metrolinx Ontario line project. Beautiful old trees will be cut down, and parks that are so important to our community for children and families to play in will be lost or drastically impacted by the line if it runs above ground. In a world where we are all learning what is most important to us from this global pandemic (time spent with our loved ones & our health) it seems that prioritizing green community spaces and parks for gathering outside should be a priority rather than a casualty of a project that could easily be put underground if it is to move forward.  I firmly believe that the building of this line requires further rigorous assessment for the environment, for the many old heritage buildings in the area, and for the detrimental health impacts on the thousands of people nearby. Please reconsider funding this project as it stands currently. We know more transportation is important to the expansion of the city, however we also know this line could be put below ground to minimize the serious negative effects on us all. Thank you for your ...

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Attachment Put it underground in Riverside and Leslieville

  • Ontario Line Project
  • Author: Franca Leeson
  • Reference number: 130
  • Submitted: 2021-03-05 - 1:27 PM
  • I strongly support better public transit in our City, but please make the Province reconsider the City's request that they put the Metrolinx transit underground in Riverside and Leslieville. The plan will have a negative effect on countless homes and businesses... why wreck neighbourhoods? It takes years to develop a community, and mere weeks to tear it down. But specifically speaking to the health effects, the constant noise of the above-ground trains would be very bad for physical and mental health. It would also further disturb the wildlife in the area. I'm also concerned that the effect of adding more diesel engine exhaust to the air may increase incidence of cancer and breathing disorders along the corridor.  I'm particularly concerned about the ravine up by Coxwell and Gerrard, called Williamson Park Ravine. This is a tiny oasis for a neighbourhood full of families, and is home to a number of species of birds and other wildlife, and a stopover for many more. The ecological balance in small urban "islands" such as this is very very delicate, and widening the track may destroy it. It will certainly cost the City hundreds of trees, including trees that are very very old. These are precious and can NEVER be replaced!  Ontario is ramming all this through at breakneck speed in a naked attempt to have something to show for their term before the next election. This is NOT the way to govern! Please step in and bring some sanity into this. Thank you.

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Attachment Support for the Save Jimmie Simpson and LSE CAC request to designate the Ontario Line for Federal Impact Assessment by a long term resident.

  • Ontario Line Project
  • Author: Sankara Menon
  • Reference number: 128
  • Submitted: 2021-03-04 - 4:13 PM
  • Six tracks through my beautiful and livable neighbourhood of Leslieville and South Riverdale will scar it. The noise and vibration levels will go up. Trees will be cut down. Parks and other green spaces will be damaged. Many homes and businesses will be negatively affected. And there is no need for that to happen. Why take a chance? The argument of cost does not hold water especially when you see how money is being spent on other transit projects in Toronto. I support public transit and there is a need for it,  but put the Ontario Line underground.  

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Attachment better route alignment would appear to have less environmental impact

  • Ontario Line Project
  • Author: Bill Eadie
  • Reference number: 127
  • Submitted: 2021-03-04 - 4:05 PM
  • How was the Ontario Line's circuitous route finalized? A route which better followed either Queen or King St would appear to have less environmental impact (eg. noise, vibration) and would be a natural upgrade to replace those busy streetcar lines through downtown Toronto, freeing up scarce roadway space on downtown streets for emergency and delivery vehicles etc.  The previous plan for the Downtown Relief Line (DRL) was a result of extensive community consultation and detailed consideration of environmental impacts; yet no objective comparison was made by Ontario/Metrolinx, between the DRL option and the Ontario Line. Angling the Ontario Line southward to connect to the Exhibition GO station, and again southward to the non-existent East Harbour GO station makes little sense, when considering urban populations and transit demands. Both GO stations are so close to Union Station that few GO riders would transfer at those locations, between GO and the Ontario Line. It seems Ontario's reason for proposing a longer routing via East Harbour is simply to economize, by sharing and widening the existing GO train right-of-way, to accomodate above-ground Ontario Line trains.  As explained in other comments that have been submitted, the "cost" of this above-ground routing would be the imposition of significant noise, vibration and safety impacts, which could be avoided if this subway was built entirely underground.  This is a huge once-in-a-lifetime expenditure which is requesting significant funding from the federal government; I would hope that the Ontario Line would implement the best alignment to serve the most persons, and best construction design (eg. tunnelling), and to ...

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Attachment An investment lasting for decades or centuries deserves more attention.

  • Ontario Line Project
  • Author: Pierre Béchereau
  • Reference number: 126
  • Submitted: 2021-03-04 - 3:54 PM
  • Dear Minister Wilkinson, As a resident of Leslieville,  I would like to add my voice of support to designate the Ontario Line so that it is seriously reviewed and at least subject to a federal impact assessment. In the heart of a big metropolitan area, environmental concerns, health issues and quality of life should dictate any investment impacting decades (if not centuries is the case of a subway) to come. The current  rail corridor is already a busy one and any modification should go in the direction of a reduction of impact (visibility, landscape, sound, vibration, pollution and safety), certainly not the opposite. This project reflects the views of the past century, the views that led us today to bear the consequences of the environmental ignorance of our preceding generations. I believe our country has learnt the lessons of the past and knows now the value of real quality investment versus short term profit. We need you to ensure this vision applies to all levels of decision. Metrolinx wants to make us believe it has to be trains or trees, as if urban development implies automatically a reduction of green space. They impose their vision with no real alternatives and try to divide our neighboorhoods (those who benefit and those who suffer from it) with fake consultations to better rule. The current pandemic showed us that our government is here to spend billions in order to ...

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Attachment Additional information for designation consideration

  • Ontario Line Project
  • Author: Save Jimmie Simpson!
  • Reference number: 125
  • Submitted: 2021-03-04 - 3:49 PM
  • We would like to provide additional information that Minister Wilkinson and the Impact Assessment Agency may find useful in making the designation determination for the Ontario Line project.   There is an overwhelming support from local residents and businesses for a federally conducted impact assessment. Save Jimmie Simpson! and Lakeshore East Community Advisory Committee’s joint request to designate the Ontario Line project has received over 120 public comments in support on the federal registry (https://iaac-aeic.gc.ca/050/evaluations/proj/81350/contributions) as of this writing.   We have endorsements from Riverside BIA (http://www.riverside-to.com/), Ralph Thornton Community Centre (https://www.ralphthornton.org/), Animal Alliance of Canada (https://www.animalalliance.ca/), Agincourt Village Community Association (http://www.avcatoronto.ca/), Pape Area Concerned Citizens for Transit (http://www.pacct.info/), York Quay Neighbourhood Association (http://yqna.ca/), Riverdale Historical Society (https://riverdalehistoricalsociety.com/), Small’s Creek ...
  • Attachment included
  • March 4, 2021 Hon. Jonathan Wilkinson, MP Minister of Environment and Climate Change ec.ministre-minister.ec@canada.ca Dear Minister Wilkinson, We would like to provide additional information that you and the Impact Assessment Agency may find useful in making the designation determination for the Ontario Line project. • There is an overwhelming support from local residents and businesses for a federally conducted impact assessment. Save Jimmie Simpson! and Lakeshore East Community Advisory Committee’s joint request to designate the Ontario Line project has received over 120 public comments in support on the federal registry as of this writing. • We have endorsements from Riverside BIA, Ralph Thornton Community Centre, Animal Alliance of Canada, Agincourt Village Community Association, Pape Area Concerned Citizens for Transit, York Quay Neighbourhood Association, Riverdale Historical Society, Small’s Creek, Councillor Paula Fletcher and MPP Peter Tabuns. • South Riverdale Community Health Centre has publicly joined the call in this tweet to designate the Ontario Line project saying it is a major step in ensuring that the project is environmentally safe and does not compromise community health. • Based on correspondence from Metrolinx to an individual in SJS, it appears the provincial transit agency is aware that the Ontario Line project will expose local residents to dangerous levels of noise and vibration (above regulated guidelines). • Metrolinx has stated that their environmental impact assessment (to be released after construction has begun) will not include a health assessment despite running foul of a number of environmental and ...
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Attachment Opposition to the above ground Ontario Line Project

  • Ontario Line Project
  • Author: Mark Zibert
  • Reference number: 124
  • Submitted: 2021-03-04 - 9:11 AM
  • As a homeowner with a family of five who live less then 30 metres from the track, I am very concerned of the impacts of an above ground Ontario Line with 6 lanes of trains passing by my house and family every 45 seconds. This project is being forced onto a community which has repeatedly voiced major concerns on def ears. I urge you to please do an impact assessment before providing funding to a conservative government who is turning their back on a community who strongly oppose the above ground project.

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Attachment Ontario Line Project

  • Ontario Line Project
  • Author: Administrator on behalf of Dan Donovan
  • Reference number: 179
  • Submitted: 2021-03-04
  • Dear Minister Wilkinson,  As a resident of Riverside, who lives ~100m from the existing rail corridor, I would like to voice my concerns with the current proposal and support for a review and federal impact assessment. There was a previous plan for a downtown relief line which was one with community consultation and made a lot of sense for moving around the city. This line, with no connection to Union station, as well as the above-ground portions, were poorly thought out and rushed into execution phases without proper thought. We and a number of our neighbours are already considering moving from a neighbourhood and street that we love because of this plan. We will lose parks, and the increased noise and vibration will have a significant impact on our daily quality of life. I understand and strongly support the need for transit, but this is not the right way to do it!  As a resident of Leslieville,  I would like to add my voice of support to designate the Ontario Line so that it is seriously reviewed and at least subject to a federal impact assessment. In the heart of a big metropolitan area, environmental concerns, health issues and quality of life should dictate any investment impacting decades (if not centuries is the case of a subway) to come. The current  rail corridor is already a busy one and any modification should go in the direction of a reduction of impact (visibility, landscape, sound, vibration, pollution and safety), certainly not the ...

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Attachment From the Department of National Defence to the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada - Follow-up: response

  • Ontario Line Project
  • Author: Administrator on behalf of Department of National Defence
  • Reference number: 164
  • Submitted: 2021-03-04
  • Good afternoon,   I apologize for the delay. In speaking with our real property personnel, it is my understanding that DND will be discussing the possibility of the easement in the future and will be identifying these concerns as well as any others related to the easement during that time prior to an easement being authorized. I hope this answers your question, if you have any others please let us know.   Thanks   Scott Hamilton Manager-Natural Resources Assistant Deputy Minister (Infrastructure and Environment) Department of National Defence / Government of Canada <Email address removed>/ Phone: <Personal information removed> Note Temporary Number: <Personal information removed>   Scott ...

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Attachment Historical, heritage and cultural sites that are essential for the Federal Impact Assessment Agency of Canada's evaluation of the Ontario Line project.

  • Ontario Line Project
  • Author: Elizabeth Abbott
  • Reference number: 121
  • Submitted: 2021-03-03 - 9:45 PM
  •   RE:  Historical, heritage and cultural sites that are essential for the Federal Impact Assessment Agency of Canada’s evaluation of the Ontario Line project.   The Riverdale Historical Society, founded in 1999, is dedicated to discovering, interpreting and preserving our community’s heritage within the wider community of Toronto.  We have hosted more than a hundred events including lectures on our history, walking tours of Riverdale, and visits to its landmarks and notable homes.  We have researched and erected RHS plaques on individual homes and co-sponsored a Heritage Preservation District study to help raise awareness of the area’s heritage among local residents.   We have provided research and funding for Heritage Toronto plaques commemorating many local landmarks such as the Don Jail, the Broadview Hotel and Grand Trunk Railway’s East Station at DeGrassi Street.  We have engaged in historically-oriented local activism, including lobbying to preserve the Lawn Bowling Club we now call home.  We have a substantial, loyal and growing membership and have been awarded City of City of Toronto Heritage Awards, including the 2007 Community Heritage Award.   Because of our commitment to Riverdale’s ...
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Attachment Environmental concerns

  • Ontario Line Project
  • Author: Sasha Boersma
  • Reference number: 120
  • Submitted: 2021-03-03 - 6:42 PM
  • I have been a tentant in Riverside for over 10 years. I have a ground-level apartment in a low-rise property a block away from where the proposed Ontario Line will be developed. I, like tens of thousands of other tenants and condo dwellers in Riverside/Leslieville, have no yard on our properties, so we rely on the public park system for our green space. I love this community and hope to at some point purchase a condo property in either Riverside or Leslieville. There is no question that the residents of Toronto support public transit. I myself don't have a car and rely on TTC and GO Transit to get me around the GTA. However, we also value community consultation. The Ontario Line was presented to the community through a press conference by the Premier of Ontario, throwing out years of work by the City of Toronto and local residents on the Relief Line From downtown to Pape Station, we as residents had worked very hard with the city figure out the best alignment and the best technical approach for limited environmental impact. Consultations had also begun on the Releif Line North, from Pape Station (Danforth) up to North York. Those options were very mindful of the ecological concerns of the north part of the Don River, including options that never crossed the econoloically sensitive area and if anything would serve a wider reach of Toronto residents. Then the provincial government turned over, threw out the plans and studies and came up with their own plan, announced, with zero consultation. In fact the so-called "open houses" they held were not to collect consultation, but to see what community concerns were so they could mitigate with "yes we know" ...

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Attachment A Federal Impact Assessment is Necessary: Will the Neighbourhood Continue to Function During and After the Ontario Line?

  • Ontario Line Project
  • Author: Desiree Bowes
  • Reference number: 119
  • Submitted: 2021-03-03 - 7:22 AM
  • The Riverside community (including areas referred to as South Riverdale and Leslieville) is an established and vibrant “15-minute neighbourhood” - a community perfectly positioned to attract development and welcome Canada’s growing population.  This Riverside community will experience the full impact of the proposed above-grade Ontario Line, both during and post-construction.  The line will impact the safety, human health, and economic conditions of this neighbourhood: in short, the line will impact whether and how the surrounding area will continue to function as a neighbourhood, if at all.  These impacts have not yet been assessed or quantified, and no mitigation plans have been developed to ensure that the neighbourhood continues to function as a place where people can live and work during and after the Ontario Line’s completion.  Please conduct a federal impact assessment to fill this gap in planning - it is only through deliberate prioritization of safety, human health, and the economy in the planning and decision-making for this project that this section of Toronto can reliably continue to support residential use and remain in a position to attract future residents. For context, I have attached an image that illustrates the need for assessment: the Riverside community is essentially a rectangle bounded by Gerrard Street East and Eastern Avenue to the north and south, Broadview Avenue and Leslie Street to the east and west.  This rectangle of land is bisected…literally cut in half, by the rail corridor.  This project’s construction will quite literally, ...
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Attachment Small's Creek Supports Save Jimmie Simpson

  • Ontario Line Project
  • Author: Heidi Schwarzkopf
  • Reference number: 118
  • Submitted: 2021-03-02 - 11:46 PM
  • Please see attached letter
  • Attachment included
  • March 2, 2021 Letter in support of Save Jimmie Simpson and LSE CAC request to designate the Ontario Line for Federal Impact Assessment Dear Minister Wilkinson, This letter is submitted on behalf of the Small’s Creek Community Group (SmallsCreek.ca) We are writing to urge you to designate this project by Metrolinx for Federal Impact Assessment. We support and applaud the province’s eagerness to expand public transit. However, we believe that crucial elements have been missed or disregarded as a result of the haste with which this project has been undertaken. The community members of Save Jimmie Simpson are asking for their health and wellbeing to be taken into account. They are asking for meaningful, inclusive, and transparent public engagement. The SmallsCreek.ca community has the same goal of meaningful, inclusive, and transparent public engagement with Metrolinx. We support all aspects of the application for Federal Impact Assessment by the Save Jimmie Simpson & LSE CAC community. Signed, Michael Terk and Heidi Schwarzkopf SmallsCreek.ca

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Attachment Federal Impact Assessment Needed

  • Ontario Line Project
  • Author: John Brock
  • Reference number: 117
  • Submitted: 2021-03-02 - 9:13 PM
  • To Whom it Concerns,  I look forward to more public transit in Toronto but I'm very concerned that the Ontario Line lacks adequate environmental and health assessments and meaningful public consultation. The TTC was ready to start construction of a thoroughly evaluated relief line subway but the new provincial government dismissed that plan and is pushing through a superficially evaluated plan with extensive above grade sections through densely developed inner city neighbourhoods. How to square that with the same people budgeting billions of extra dollars to extend rapid transit underground in the low density suburban neighbourhoods of Scarborough and Etobicoke? Please carry out an Impact Assessment of the Ontario Line so we can all be assured that it conforms to applicable health, environmental and safety standards before handing over the federal government's 40% contribution to the project funding.

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Attachment regarding the elevated Ontario Line

  • Ontario Line Project
  • Author: Alan Jones
  • Reference number: 116
  • Submitted: 2021-03-01 - 9:40 PM
  • On behalf of my family and neighbours I respectfully want to file my objection to the elevated portion of the Ontario line that will dissect our neighbourhood and lay waste to a close, friendly and family-oriented community that prides itself on community. We as a community know the need for public transit as well as any in the city. We are transit users. My children ages 22 and 19 years old have decided that they don't have a need to learn to drive. They have grown up using transit as have many of their friends. This is also a community that maximises its public spaces and community centres. But the true wealth of our corner of the city is the green spaces that makes one feel that they are not even living in a large city. The Ontario Line going above ground in this area will destroy all that has been built for many generations. And all of this ostensibly to service a new downtown core being built directly south of us with no consideration for the existing communities that surround it. That isn't progress and it is definitely not sound urban planning. The arguments against this portion of the line going above ground far outweigh the propaganda that Metrolinx spews out. There is no logical reason there is a very sound plan for the subway to go underground. The community knows this and we are determined to see it through.

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Attachment Finding Napkin plans

  • Ontario Line Project
  • Author: jon voss
  • Reference number: 115
  • Submitted: 2021-03-01 - 4:51 PM
  • The Ontario line skated to replace the objectively planned relief line has major digferences including above grade tracks through Leslieville.    local residents don't want above grade and this was not the plan via "relief line". Why does the federal Govt fund napkin plans by policitians "? Plans that don't involve the public and benefit  only their small circle of developer friends?

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Attachment South Riverdale over ground portion of Ont Line

  • Ontario Line Project
  • Author: Mariana Valverde
  • Reference number: 114
  • Submitted: 2021-03-01 - 4:25 PM
  • There is absolutely no justification for proposing an overground portion of the line precisely where the tracks to be added would result in the elimination of park land in an area of the old city of Toronto with fewer than average green spaces, not to mention the expropriation of homes (some homes in my neighbourhood are only a few meters from the existing train tracks) and the permanent disruption of four playgrounds, all currently right beside the existing lines. With both the RER proposed Go train expansion and the new Ontario line, my street would see a train go by every 45 seconds, which would be highly detrimental to the kids in the parks even if some of the playgrounds were 'saved'. it is appalling that due to Doug Ford's dislike of our area --which has consistently voted NDP or Liberal-- the line is supposed to be over-ground here, whereas in the part of Toronto he represents and lives in, $1,8 additional billion dollars is going to be spent burying the line. In Etobicoke there are plenty of very wide streets that would have ample space for an LRT type of system. My street (Booth Avenue) is mostly made up of century old houses, many of them very very close to the tracks.And as the federal government knows well, the Ford government has gutted the environmental assessment process, so we have no recourse other than asking the federal government to do a proper assessment. The original train tracks were the main CN line between Toronto and points east (including Montreal), and still carry both VIA trains and freight -- so surely there is some federal interest in this line. It is not an ordinary purely local transit line.  

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Attachment Six lanes of trains in the middle of a vibrant downtown Toronto community

  • Ontario Line Project
  • Author: L R
  • Reference number: 113
  • Submitted: 2021-03-01 - 2:27 PM
  • The decision to have six lanes of trains running through Riverside, a vibrant downtown Toronto community, makes no sense at all. [Close your eyes and consider six lanes of trains - that run every 45 seconds - speeding by your house, your place of business, your parks and your community centre on one of the main streets of your town or city]. Dropping the Ontario line in the middle of our 'little town within a big city' will significantly change the culture of our community by eating up our park and green spaces (where people picnic, walk their dogs, throw the ball around, contemplate life), encroaching on a community centre used by many low-income children and adults in the area, and make our community unhealthy to live, work and play in. The World Health Organization recognizes that noise can have 'impacts on physcial and mental health."  WHO warns "railway traffic produce(s) intermiitent low-frequency noise.  Low frequency noise may also produce vibrations and rattles as secondary effects.  Health impacts due to low frequency components in noise are estimated to be more severe than for community noises, in general."  What will the impacts of this level of noise be on the health of the people living and working in the neighbourhood? Extensive vibration studies also need to be done to ensure the foundations of homes (many within ten metres of the new tracks) can withstand the constant vibrations and weight pressure of trains passing by every 45 seconds at less than the recommended set-back distance. The federal government says that it's goal is to ensure that high standards are applied and the impacts of from instrastructure ...

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Attachment Concerns re: Ontario Line removing all trees and installing walls

  • Ontario Line Project
  • Author: Paul Mark
  • Reference number: 112
  • Submitted: 2021-03-01 - 12:30 PM
  • To Whom it Concerns,  The Federal government is being asked to contribute 40% of the funding for the Ontario Line project. We are asking as a community that will be severely impacted from having the size of our rail corridor doubled from 3 tracks to 6 tracks above ground, that the Federal Government undertake an Impact Assessment to ensure to all Canadians that this project, in all communities along its planned route, meet the Federal Infrastructure goals of "ensuring high level standards are applied and the impacts from the projects create ‘an economically vibrant, strategically planned, sustainable and inclusive communities.’ We know this is not what is happening in our community with the Ontario Line and with the provinces' drastic alterations to the Environmental Assessment process which allows the province to advance, and study only one plan, without undertaking investigations of alternatives or necessary and extensive community consultations to inform its planning. They are about to begin building their Early Works on this project without having a completed and reviewed Environmental Impact Assessment. We have grave concerns over the rail safety issues of the doubling of the tracks through our densely populated residential neighbourhood. The Federal government is responsible for safety oversight on the provincial Go rail network under the The Railway Safety Act. We are asking that the Federal government to oversee the provinces plans particularly on our section of corridor, called, ‘The Joint Corridor,” to ensure our community safety, where 6 lanes of mixed use trains will be running less than 10 metre setback to our homes, our playgounds and our parks. The Federal ...
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