Tag Archives: Mike Ford

Protest planned for January 7

Leave a reply

From Stop the Trains in Our Parks:

Join us for a peaceful protest to tell Metrolinx and the Ford Government to listen to the community and keep the entire Eglinton Crosstown West Extension (ECWE) underground. We must act now: Metrolinx plans to clear cut thousands of trees in the coming months!

Date: Saturday, January 7, 2023 

Time: 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Location: Starts at the parking lot at 101 Emmett Avenue (near Jane Street and Eglinton Avenue West)

Bring your family, friends and neighbours! Help spread the word!


The Indigenous community and residents in York South-Weston/Mount Dennis are fed up with Metrolinx and the Ford Government’s complete lack of transparency and meaningful community consultation on their ill-conceived plan to build a 1.5km section of the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension (ECWE) LRT as an elevated concrete structure running through irreplaceable urban forest and parkland.

We support the ECWE but demand that this 1.5km section is built underground like the rest of the line. Metrolinx has publicly admitted it is technically feasible to go underground. 

This greenspace—the Humber River, Eglinton Flats and Fergy Brown Park—is a sensitive ecosystem and wildlife corridor that is home to Threatened and Endangered species. It is used for Indigenous ceremony and education, recreation, sports and social activities. 

Who’s leading the protest?

The protest is being led by the ENAGB Indigenous Youth Agency, with the support of allies and community groups, including Stop the Trains in Our Parks (STOP), the Mount Dennis Community Association (MDCA), the Mount Dennis eco-Neighbourhood Initiative (MDeNI), and others. 

About the ECWE

The Eglinton Crosstown West Extension (ECWE) will continue the Eglinton Crosstown LRT from Mount Dennis Station west to Renforth Drive. Metrolinx and the Ford Government plan to build most of the ECWE underground (the section that runs through Etobicoke), but in Mount Dennis, one of the most economically-disadvantaged neighbourhoods in the city, they plan on constructing an elevated LRT train expressway through Fergy Brown Park, Eglinton Flats and over the Humber River, with two massive overhead stations over Jane Street and Scarlett Road.

Learn more

Watch ENAGB’s video message 

Read ENAGB’s letter to Metrolinx Board Chair and Ford Government 

Watch video with drone footage of the parkland  

Questions?

Email stopthetrainsinourparks@gmail.com 

Metrolinx wants to devastate nearby park.

Leave a reply

Metrolinx loves clearcutting. Their zeal in removing vegetation along rail corridors and ravines is well documented. They also want to chop down several century-old trees downtown on the Osgoode Hall grounds in spite of huge objections and seemingly better alternatives. Apparently Metrolinx knows better than the little people. This is the organization that is two years late in finishing the Eglinton Crosstown Line. Not only that but Metrolinx cannot provide an estimate of when the line will finally open – after more than eleven years of continuing disruption. Closer to home, Metrolinx is up to no good again and this time, they wish to clear-cut a large section of Fergy Brown and Emmet Parks and Ukrainian Canadian Memorial Park (adjoining Raymore Park).

The issue is that the Eglinton Line West Extension to Pearson Airport will be above ground and will parallel Eglinton Avenue and cross the Humber using a 1.5 km elevated track. Vegetation beneath the track will be cut back to avoid shorting out the high-voltage overhead cables that provide the power. Unlike the rest of the line, Metrolinx claims that this section has to be built above ground because they say it’s too expensive to go underground and under the Humber. Instead, an elevated LRT expressway-style bridge will be twinned with the existing road bridge and the precious parkland beneath and its wildlife will be razed. Parkland is far too precious to be destroyed in this manner and future generations will wonder about the barbarians who could do this to our diminishing wildlife and precious tree canopy.

The location of the proposed 1.5 km overhead rail line that will run north of and parallel to Eglinton. From Google maps. Click to enlarge.

Stop the Trains in our Parks is a group of concerned citizens who are fighting this proposal and will be demonstrating outside local MPP Mike Ford‘s office at 1832 Weston Road (350m south of Lawrence) on Thursday, December 15th at 2:00 p.m. They invite all who are concerned about the devastation this line will cause to our local parks to lend support through their presence and/or contacting Mr. Ford.

For more information contact STOP at mailto:stopthetrainsinourparks@gmail.com