Vaughan, June 21, 2021– The Vaughan Chamber was pleased to welcome Metrolinx and York Region Rapid Transit Corporation staff to present to business leaders on the Yonge North Subway extension at today’s Vaughan Chamber of Commerce AGM.
As populations continue to grow and densities rise throughout the Greater Toronto Area and beyond, there is an urgent need to create connected infrastructure for future generations that ensures the greatest range of mobility options. Municipal boundaries often have the effect of acting as transit boundaries that prevent effective movement of passengers. However, this subway will create a vital hub that, through the Viva Network, will connect to the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre. It will maximize the recent investments in GO Transit, VIVA-YRT, Eglinton Crosstown LRT, UP Express connectivity to Pearson Airport, and the Line 1 extension into Vaughan.
“As a long-time transportation advocate and proponent of transit connectivity, I’m thrilled to see the Yonge North Subway Extension moving ahead,” said Brian Shifman, President & CEO of the Vaughan Chamber of Commerce. “This subway will promote economic growth and allow for job seekers to more easily connect with leading employers. In particular, the Yonge North Subway Extension will successfully connect York Region, and its rapidly growing population, to the rest of the GTA through neighbouring transit options including the recently completed subway extension to Vaughan and the Viva rapidway along Highway 7.”
Once construction commences, the project will lead to new business and job creation, intensification, and the attraction of more affordable housing as well as significant environmental benefits. In fact, by eliminating the need for 2,500 bus trips that currently service a stretch of Yonge Street each weekday, the Yonge North Subway Extension has significant potential to reduce carbon emissions and eliminate up to 4,800 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions each year.
Chamber members welcomed the recent announcement from the federal Government to finalize funding for the Yonge North Subway Extension. This investment will offer tremendous benefits for Vaughan and the broader York Region community in the decades to come.
