Eglinton Crosstown delay will continue to hurt small businesses: BIA chair
The latest delay of the Eglinton Crosstown transit line will further hurt small businesses that have already been bearing the “brunt” of the long-term construction project, says the chair of the Eglinton Way BIA.
Maureen Sirois told CP24 on Monday that many Eglinton business owners are frustrated following an announcement from Metrolinx on Friday that it would not be able to meet a previously-set target of September for completion of the project.
“It is outrageous that it should be going on this long,” said Sirois. “This is the third delay that we’ve faced with regards to Metrolinx and it’s really disappointing and people are really frustrated.”
Metrolinx offered no new target date for completion of the LRT.
Sirois said that many businesses have been impacted by the construction for over a decade since it began in 2011, but haven’t had any direct compensation from Metrolinx.
Construction on the line began in 2011 and was initially scheduled to be completed in 2020.
The project, however, has been plagued by repeated delays.
“There’s been absolutely no compensation directly to any of the businesses,” said Sirois. “The businesses have been bearing the brunt of the construction of this important infrastructure project.”
Sirois stressed that none of the businesses in her BIA are against the project and that they celebrate more transit being built in the city, however she said that “transit should not be built on the backs of small business.”
In a statement on Friday, Metrolinx CEO Phil Vester said that Crosslinx Transit Solutions, the construction consortium responsible for building the project, had fallen behind schedule and was unable to finalize construction and testing.
Vester added that Metrolinx would do “everything to hold Crosslinx Transit Solutions accountable and to redouble efforts to meet their commitments” but he did not provide a new timeline.
“This could go on for a year, 18 months, god forbid 24 months,” Sirois said. “We don’t need this, it has to be completed.”
Crosslinx previously filed a lawsuit against Metrolinx and Infrastructure Ontario in October 2020 in which they argued that they should not be held accountable for delays or cost overruns on the project because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
A judge eventually sided with the consortium and the two sides renegotiated an agreement in December that would have seen the line substantially completed by September 2022 and in operation several months later.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Breast cancer screening should start at age 40, Canadian Cancer Society says
The Canadian Cancer Society says all provinces and territories should lower the starting age for breast cancer screening to 40.
DEVELOPING Live updates as Stormy Daniels testifies at Trump hush money trial
Adult film star Stormy Daniels is on the stand a second time Thursday as former U.S. president Donald Trump’s hush money case continues in Manhattan. Follow live updates here.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Here are the ultraprocessed foods you most need to avoid, according to a 30-year study
Studies have shown that ultraprocessed foods can have a detrimental impact on health. But 30 years of research show they don’t all have the same impact.
Ontario man frustrated after $3,500 paving job leaves driveway in shambles
An Ontario man considering having his driveway paved received a quote from a company for $7,000, but then, another paver in the neighbourhood knocked on his door and offered half that rate.
Why these immigrants to Canada say they're thinking about leaving, or have already moved on
For some immigrants, their dreams of permanently settling in Canada have taken an unexpected twist.
BREAKING Sheldon Keefe out as head coach of Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs have fired head coach Sheldon Keefe. The team made the announcement Thursday after the Original Six franchise lost to the Boston Bruins in seven games in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Boeing 737 catches fire and skids off the runway at a Senegal airport, injuring 10 people
A Boeing 737-300 plane carrying 85 people skidded off a runway at the airport in Dakar, Senegal's capital, injuring 10 people, according to the transport minister, an airline safety group and footage from a passenger that showed the aircraft on fire.
Canadian-Israeli man shot dead in Egypt; claim links killing to Gaza
A Canadian man 'of Jewish Israeli descent' has been shot dead in the Egyptian city of Alexandria in a suspected criminal case, a security source said, while a previously unknown militant group said it carried out the attack in reaction to the war in Gaza.