The Ontario government has announced there will be an extra $3 million to support areas impacted by Eglinton Crosstown LRT construction amid calls for help as the project faces delays.
Ontario Transportation Minister Caroline Mulroney said the money will go toward marketing, promotions, and clean-up assistance.
“We acknowledge these delays have real and severe impacts on businesses and the families and the people who operate them,” she wrote in a public letter to Mayor John Tory.
Mulroney said the money is in addition to the $6.6 million given to business improvement areas for promotions, parking discounts, window cleaning and local procurement.
“We recognized, in response to the recently announced delay, additional support is needed.”
According to the letter, the provincial government and Metrolinx are looking at possibly opening portions of the LRT line sooner. However, it’s unclear what that might entail.
In a statement, Tory called Monday’s announcement “welcome news.” But reiterated that businesses “need this finished, need support and commuters need the transit.”
Metrolinx said in mid-February that the Eglinton Crosstown LRT will be delayed until “well into 2022.” It was originally scheduled to open in 2020 then was postponed to 2021.
News of the funding on Monday comes a week after Toronto councillors Mike Colle and Josh Matlow attended and organized “Shop Eglinton Day,” which was aimed at raising awareness about how multiple businesses have been financially impacted.
In April 2018, the City of Toronto announced it will offer free parking in the area.
Less than a year later, Metrolinx announced it would be cancelling its proposal to close a section of Bathurst Street, just north of Eglinton Avenue West, due to public backlash and a lack of community consultation. The transit agency said at the time the closure would have sped up the construction process by three months.
Around that time, several auto dealerships took out an ad in a Toronto paper to remind customers the businesses are still open despite construction making it difficult for drivers to navigate the area.
Once it opens, the 25-station LRT will run on a dedicated right-of-way between Mount Dennis and Kennedy subway station.
— With files from Jessica Patton