'New government, different way': York Region wants more GO stations

Move could put approved stations at risk, Newmarket mayor says

YorkRegion.com
Feb. 13, 2019
Lisa Queen

York Region is taking a crack at convincing the provincial government to reconsider GO train stations that had been rejected by Metrolinx.
That has left Newmarket Mayor John Taylor crossing his fingers that the strategy won’t sabotage hopes of getting the Mulock station in Newmarket and the Kirby station in Vaughan built.

Despite controversy surrounding their approval, Mulock and Kirby had beaten out the other proposed stations under the previous Liberal government, but are now being reviewed by the current Progressive Conservative government.

York Region council sees the review as a chance to ask Metrolinx, the province’s transportation planning body, to reconsider building stations at Concord and 15th Sideroad on the Barrie GO line, John Street and 19th Avenue on the Richmond Hill corridor and Denison/14th Avenue and Major Mackenzie on the Stouffville line.

While council said Mulock and Kirby remain the priority, Taylor hopes the additional request won’t jeopardize the two stations in Newmarket and Vaughan.
It’s like asking someone for $100,000 and when they say they are rethinking giving it to you, asking for $1 million, he said.

“This is expanding the ask and I don’t think it’s going to increase our chance of achieving anything. And I’ll go a step further, it’s going to decrease the chance. I’ll be transparent, it’s going to decrease the chances of the Mulock station moving forward, in all likelihood,” he said.

“To be blunt, another way of putting it and I’ll put it very simply, it would not be unlike us sending a resolution at random saying we’re calling on you to continue moving forward with the university in Markham. However, we would also like you to pursue a university for Newmarket, Aurora and East Gwillimbury. It might be a good idea but it’s not a good strategy.”

But other mayors argued it doesn’t make sense to let the opportunity to get other stations back on the table slip by.
They argued the Conservatives have suggested they are interested in new stations surrounded by development, which encourages transit use and provides an opportunity for development to help bankroll the stations.

The region has to be strategic with the new Doug Ford government, King Mayor Steve Pellegrini said.

“I’m going to state the obvious, the government’s changed. And the way the way they are conducting business is much different. This council very much supported Mulock and Kirby under the old government’s funding formula. New government, different way,” he said.

“So, I don’t want to say it’s Mulock and Kirby and you’ve got to fund it and we won’t take any other stations unless you do these first. That’s not how it’s going to work with them.”

The province has indicated there are opportunities for paying for the stations rather than putting the burden solely on taxpayers, Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti said.

“It (asking for the additional stations) is not about diminishing anybody. It’s saying if you’re going to go back and review a couple of stations with a different approach, maybe there’s one or two other stations that actually may work with that approach and you don’t have to add additional tax dollars going in a provincial budget to make those stations happen. That’s all this is asking for,” he said.

“It’s through a different lens that they are considering these stations and that’s good news because, you know what, maybe Mulock and some of these other stations will even happen quicker. Maybe they won’t. But I think we need to ask the province if they are going to take this new approach, it’s a good one, why limit it to the stations they had previously approved. One or two (additional) stations might just get built based on that approach.”

Metrolinx is currently in the process of working with its municipal and development partners to evaluate opportunities for third-party investment in the delivery of new stations, Metrolinx spokesperson Fannie Sunshine said in an email.

“This new approach does not affect the government’s decision-making prerogative to fund or build transit infrastructure, including new stations,” she said.
Approval of the Mulock and Kirby stations became a political hot potato for the previous Liberal government two years ago when the then-Conservative opposition questioned their approval.

Even though an expert report listed numerous flaws with both potential stations, they were approved in the ridings of two cabinet ministers at the time, Newmarket-Aurora MPP and Housing Minister Chris Ballard and Vaughan MPP and Transportation Minister Steven Del Duca.

Ballard said he didn’t influence the selection of the Mulock station.

“Other than bringing forward the community’s desire for a station to Metrolinx’ attention, I had nothing further to do with the process,” he said.
In a statement, Del Duca didn’t directly address concerns about any influence that may have been used in approving the Kirby station.