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Province announces $55 million toward Yonge subway extension into Richmond Hill

Yorkregion.com
June 2, 2016
By Lisa Queen

The Yonge Street subway extension to Richmond Hill is a step closer to reality, thanks to a funding announcement made by Transportation Minister Steven Del Duca at a media conference this morning.

“We are here today to announce we are taking the next step with respect to the Yonge Street north subway extension. The province announced $55 million today to flow to Metrolinx to work with the TTC, York Region Transit and York Region council to continue to advance this, to do some of the more detailed design, so that we can get this project to be shovel ready,” the Vaughan MPP told York Region Media Group at the event at the Richmond Hill Centre Bus Station at Yonge and Hwy. 7.

“It’s a significant step. Certainly in my last two years serving as minister of transportation, this is the largest single investment the province has made with respect to this particular project.”

The subway extension is part of Metrolinx’s next round of future transit projects, Del Duca said.

“I think it’s really important in this region to both build for today, which we are doing, but also plan for tomorrow and that’s what this is all about. This is a great day for York Region, a great day for this project,” he said.

“At the end of the day, you can’t put a shovel in the ground and build a project like this until all of the analysis, all of the detailed design, everything else, is done. These are large projects, this is a multi-billion dollar project.”

York regional chairperson Wayne Emmerson applauded the announcement.

“The Yonge north subway extension project is now on track and moving forward, thanks to the generous support of our partner, the Government of Ontario,” he said.

“Make no mistake, this is a small step in a very long journey, but it is a critical first step. The Yonge north subway extension is the No. 1 rapid transit priority of regional council and for good reason.”

Today’s announcement may not provide a large amount of money, but sends a very clear signal that Queen’s Park is moving forward with the Yonge subway extension “in an incremental manner”, said Godwin Chan, one of three York councillors who formed the Yonge Street North Group several years ago to lobby to get the 7.4-km extension built.

Chan said he was at this morning’s announcement at Richmond Hill Centre where he ran into Federal Minister of Infrastructure, Amarjeet Sohi, and urged him to provide further funding from Ottawa.

“I view it as a small step forward ... a kickoff for more funding and progress on this much-needed project,” he said.

Chan has been vocal about the need for the subway extension to Richmond Hill, as has Markham councillor Valerie Burke and Vaughan councillor Alan Shefman.