TORONTO – Premier Doug Ford‘s government has unveiled legislation it says will help speed up construction of its multi-billion-dollar transit plan for the Greater Toronto Area.
Transportation Minister Caroline Mulroney introduced the bill dubbed the Building Transit Faster Act at the provincial legislature Tuesday.
Mulroney says the bill, if passed, would streamline land acquisition, co-ordinate utility relocation, and change the environmental assessment process for transit projects.
She says the changes will not relax any environmental protections provided under the current system.
Last year, the Progressive Conservative government unveiled a $28.5-billion plan it said will move the province’s aging public transit system into the 21st century.
The plan proposes to build a downtown relief subway line in Toronto, called the Ontario Line, as well as a three-stop Scarborough subway extension.