Vaughan, ON, December 18, 2017 – On behalf of the local business community, the Vaughan Chamber of Commerce congratulates the Government of Canada, the Ontario Provincial Government, Regional Municipality of York, City of Toronto, York Region Transit, Toronto Transit Commission and the City of Vaughan on the completion of the Toronto-York Spadina Subway Extension (TYSSE).
The Vaughan Chamber recognizes the historic milestone – this marks the first ever extension of the subway system outside of the City of Toronto’s borders. The fact it serves York University’s 65,000+ population, and culminates in Vaughan demonstrates the positive results that can be achieved through inter-governmental cooperation and the upward trajectory of the City of Vaughan’s status as a hub of commercial and residential activity.
“The City of Vaughan is consistently cited as one of Canada’s most lucrative places to do business, and recognized for its highly educated population and access to transportation networks. The subway extension will accelerate this incredible transformation that’s happening in Vaughan and within York Region,” said Brian Shifman, President & CEO of the Vaughan Chamber of Commerce. “Eleven-thousand businesses in Vaughan can take advantage of this economic opportunity.”
The 8.6-kilometre Line 1 extension officially opened yesterday (Sunday, December 17) with six new stations, three of which are in Vaughan (Pioneer Village, Highway 407, and Vaughan Metropolitan Centre). Although the subway line stretches over two cities, customers only need to purchase one fare to ride its entire length. When switching to a York Region Transit bus, however, customers will need to purchase an additional fare.
TTC reports it will take approximately 14 minutes to travel the length of the extension from Sheppard West Station (formerly Downsview Station) to Vaughan Metropolitan Centre (VMC). It’s also reported that the ride time for the full line, from Finch Station to VMC is approximately 79 minutes.
Vaughan Chamber member, Bausch + Lomb Canada, applauds all levels of government and local partners for accomplishing a historic transit development milestone with the expansion of the Toronto Transit system’s subway to Vaughan.
“We are pleased that our employees have a convenient public transit option to commute to and from the Bausch + Lomb offices,” said Lorenzo Santini, Vice President of Bausch + Lomb Canada. “As a major distribution centre for Bausch + Lomb vision health products, we also anticipate increased ease of moving products from our facility to customers on local roads that will benefit from more efficient traffic.”
On Friday, December 15, the official ribbon-cutting took place at Vaughan Metropolitan Centre. All levels of government participated in the ceremony, represented by: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Premier Kathleen Wynne, York Region Chairman Wayne Emmerson, City of Vaughan Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua and City of Toronto Mayor John Tory.
Earlier this year, the Vaughan Chamber coordinated with neighbouring chambers to pass two transportation related resolutions at the 2017 Ontario Chamber of Commerce AGM and Policy Session, including: Support for Metrolinx Big Move and ‘Next Wave’ Priority Projects, and the need for Regional Transportation Fare Integration.
The Vaughan Chamber continues to call on all levels of government to advance efforts towards a seamless transportation network that includes regional fare integration, and for the expansion of the regional transit network with extensions of the Yonge subway to Richmond Hill and the creation of the Relief Line downtown.
“With the opening of the Toronto-York Spadina Subway Extension and all the good will it has fostered, the opportunity to continue to expand the network and to facilitate more seamless use of transit through integrated fares should be seized upon,” said Shifman.
The Vaughan Chamber of Commerce is the premier membership and networking association in Vaughan. The Vaughan Chamber proudly represents business from all sectors of the economy including large corporations and small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs). The organization is a strong voice on public policy issues of importance to the local business community, such as infrastructure, transportation, corporate taxes, and opportunities for business growth.
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Media Contact:
Kelly McGuire
Communications and Public Policy Officer
Vaughan Chamber of Commerce
kelly@vvc.local
905 761 1366 ext 229
