Ontario’s Ford government is “considering” a request from Mississauga Mayor Carolyn Parrish to subsidize the cost of running the unfinished Hurontario LRT when it eventually opens.
In mid-November, Parrish wrote to Premier Doug Ford asking the province to commit to at least three years of operating funding for the light rail line, a request that mirrored an agreement Ontario reached with Toronto at the end of 2023.
“Earlier this year, your government struck new funding deals with Toronto and Ottawa, providing each city with funding for transit projects,” Parrish wrote on Nov. 13. “In both cases, your government recognized the significant operating pressures faced by these cities and determined that provincial support was needed. I am asking you to do the same for Mississauga.”
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In her letter, Parrish said that running the Hurontario LRT — which has been named the Hazel McCallion Line — would cost Mississauga roughly $65 million per year. The mayor said that amounted to a 3.6 per cent property tax increase when the line opens.
In Ford’s renegotiated deal with Toronto, the province committed to taking on the costs of running both the Eglinton Crosstown LRT and the Finch West LRT when they open.
The two light rail routes will be operated by the TTC but the provincial government has said it will reimburse the related expenses incurred by the transit agency.
“Premier, I am asking you to do what you have done for Toronto and Ottawa and deliver a new deal for Mississauga that includes funding for the operating costs of the Hazel McCallion LRT for the first three years, at least,” Parrish wrote.
A spokesperson for the provincial government confirmed the request was under consideration in a brief statement.
“We are considering the mayor’s request,” they told Global News.
None of the Hurontario, Finch West or Eglinton Crosstown LRTs have opening dates yet, and all three Metrolinx-led projects have been hit with delays pushing them past the dates they were originally expected to open.
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