At the end of June, I co-hosted an Ontario Line Town Hall for residents of Don Valley West alongside MPP Stephanie Bowman. Nearly 200 community members were in attendance to hear important updates from Metrolinx and City staff about construction on the new Thorncliffe Park Station, Maintenance and Storage Facility, and concurrent local projects.
There were many excellent questions raised at the meeting, and while we couldn’t get to all of them, my office will be circulating a summary Q&A document with responses from staff this summer. If you did not register to attend the meeting but would like a copy of the presentation materials and Q&A document, please email my office at .
While I welcome new higher-order transit in Toronto, I am continuing to advocate for measures to mitigate the construction and traffic impacts on our local neighbourhoods. At the Infrastructure & Environment Committee in April, I moved a motion calling for enhanced construction coordination between the City and Metrolinx on overlapping projects in the Thorncliffe Park and Leaside area.
Earlier this spring, Metrolinx published its Truck Safety Plan to better manage construction vehicle traffic for the Ontario Line. Developed in response to a request from City Council and in collaboration with City staff, the Truck Safety Plan is intended to provide a clear and enforceable framework for selecting, managing, and monitoring truck routes. It is a living document focused on safety and efficiency that will continue to evolve as the Ontario Line progresses.
The key principles guiding the plan include prioritizing main roads, avoiding school zones, coordinating with concurrent projects, and keeping heavy trucks off residential streets. You can find the full plan and list of identified truck routes on Metrolinx’s website. For more updates about traffic and transportation in Leaside, please subscribe to my monthly newsletter at rachelchernoslin.ca.
