SoVote

Decentralized Democracy

Ontario Assembly

43rd Parl. 1st Sess.
October 5, 2023 10:15AM
  • Oct/5/23 10:50:00 a.m.

I want to thank the member for Burlington for that question and her advocacy for transit users in her riding and across the province.

Mr. Speaker, we’re building the largest transit expansion plan in Ontario’s history; in fact, the largest in North American history. From new subways, LRTs and two-way, all-day GO—we’re investing $70 billion over the next 10 years to keep people connected. GO expansion is a key part of our plan. Work is well under way as we move forward with two-day, all-day GO every 15 minutes on key segments of the GO train corridor. With new electric trains, we will be able to reach speeds of up to 140 kilometres per hour. More trains, more service, and faster speeds—the investments we’re making today will have a generational impact for years to come.

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  • Oct/5/23 11:00:00 a.m.

Thank you to the member.

Mr. Speaker, we know that communities need investments into public transit right now. That’s why, since 2018, we have continued to steadily increase GO train service across this province, and made billions of dollars in investments in our transit systems. We have also made incredible progress on two-way, all-day GO.

Last year, our government announced a contract award with partners to design, build, operate and maintain an expanded electrified GO rail network and fleet over the next 25 years.

In addition, work is complete on a new section of the Aldershot GO. The new tracks will give commuters on the Lakeshore West line more service to West Harbour GO in Hamilton, and beyond.

We’re full steam ahead, and I look forward to sharing more updates as we transform GO Transit across this province.

Under the leadership of Premier Ford and this government, we’re making record and historic investments into supporting the people of Toronto, building a world-class city and a province that is connected from east to south to north to west.

Every time we have put forward changes in this House, the members opposite have voted against them.

The Building Transit Faster Act is a great example of that—taking the learnings from the challenges of building transit in this province. We’re getting it done.

When the members opposite were given a choice and a chance to stand—building transit faster in this province, in this city and cities like Toronto, where we need to get shovels in the ground—they voted against that every single time.

We’re making investments to build two-way, all-day GO to places like Kitchener, on the Kitchener line. The members opposite vote against that every single time.

Mr. Speaker, the people of this province expect us to build transit. That’s exactly what we’re going to do—$70 billion over the next 10 years.

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  • Oct/5/23 11:10:00 a.m.

The former Liberal government had 15 years to build transit in Scarborough. What did they do? Absolutely nothing. They talked a lot, but they did nothing.

Under the leadership of Premier Ford, we have shovels in the ground on the Scarborough subway extension.

The people of Scarborough were ignored for long enough under the Liberal government.

We’re building subways, we’re building hospitals, we’re building a new medical school in Scarborough.

We will take no lessons from the members opposite in the independent Liberal Party on how to invest and build transit in Scarborough.

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