Mississauga mayor cautiously optimistic City Centre transit loop could still happen
Published January 27, 2022 at 12:53 pm
Mayor Bonnie Crombie responded with guarded optimism to Premier Doug Ford’s suggestion this week that he’s open to revisiting a key public transit project for Mississauga’s City Centre.
In an interview on Tuesday with insauga.com publisher Khaled Iwamura, Ford said he’d consider reinstating a City Centre transit loop component into plans for the massive Hurontario light rail transit (LRT) system, expected to open to passengers in fall 2024.
However, the Premier added, he’d support such a move only if City Centre developers contributed financially.
The loop, initially included in Hurontario LRT plans to service residents/passengers who live in the highrises around Square One, was pulled off the table two years ago by the Ontario government in a cost-cutting move.
Crombie and City of Mississauga councillors have been pressing the Province ever since to reconsider, arguing the area’s population is growing quickly and will need more convenient transit service both in the short- and long-term.
Map shows the most-recent plan for the Hurontario LRT route, which does not include a City Centre transit loop.
Videos
Mississauga’s mayor has said on several occasions that getting the City Centre transit loop back onto the table is one of her, and the City’s, top priorities.
Today at the City’s weekly press conference, a cautiously optimistic Crombie described Ford’s words as “great news.”
“However,” she noted, “first, we don’t know what the estimated cost for the loop is…(and the provincial government) is funding the balance of the line.”
Still, Crombie said, it’s worthwhile to do an analysis of any option.
“But we right now don’t have those revenue tools in place to ask those developers to make those kind of contributions, so there would have to be some adjustments,” she continued. “But certainly it’s something we can consider. I would…use any measure I have at my disposal to ensure that loop does get built.”
Map shows plans for the Hurontario LRT when it included the City Centre transit loop component.
Ford noted in his interview with insauga.com that in Toronto and the GTA alone, his government has invested nearly $29 billion in transit initiatives.
“We’re a government that believes in building transit, building new highways,” said Ford. “We’re going to continue investing in infrastructure; it’s absolutely critical. For 15 years, infrastructure was ignored in this province, but we’re a government that builds–builds new schools, builds new hospitals, roads, highways and, of course, transit.”
When completed, the 18-kilometre Hurontario LRT route will move passengers from Port Credit GO station in the south to Brampton in the north, with 19 stops along the way.
It will offer a dedicated right-of-way running from south Mississauga to Brampton Gateway Terminal. It will link to GO stations at Port Credit and Cooksville, the Mississauga Transitway, Square One GO Bus Terminal, Brampton Gateway Terminal, and key MiWay and Brampton Transit routes.
Metrolinx, the agency responsible for regional transit in the Golden Horseshoe, says the initiative is part of its long-term vision for an integrated, sustainable transit network connecting the Greater Toronto and Hamilton areas.
insauga's Editorial Standards and Policies advertising