Save Jimmie Simpson/Bury the Ontario Line

The current plan for the Ontario Line will have massive negative impacts on several old, functioning, and dense neighbourhoods in Toronto's east end. The plan will destroy parks, community centres, a wooded ravine, and the quality of life on streets where the proposed line will run. Having attended some Metrolinx meetings I found that the 'experts' and representatives presented platitudes about sound and vibration mitigation while having little to no knowledge of the areas or even grades of the land where this line would run. I have no faith that Metrolinx are operating with any sense of the needs of the neighbourhood.

The tree canopy of this entire area will be affected, and the removal of these old trees on streets like Wardell, or from the ravine, will release carbon into the atmosphere in the city, making the city hotter. The loss of these trees that provide fresh air, shade, homes for animals, that store carbon, remove pollution, and even assist in flood protection, will mean the loss of these benefits in Toronto's east end. (https://treecanada.ca/resources/canadian-urban-forest-compendium/3-benefits-of-urban-forests/) We will see more flooding because of the loss of parks and trees, and we will feel the affects of air pollution more strongly. The province and city currently have a committment to increasing the tree canopy in urban areas to improve quality of air and life in cities. Needlessley removing old trees or functioning forests is a step backward in this work. A newly planted tree would take decades to provide the benefit that leaving older trees standing would.

And above ground subway will also add a dangerous level of noise pollution (https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/noise-pollution/) to residental streets, and noice pollution is known to have adverse effects on human health. Noise pollution is KNOWN to cause hearing loss and high blood pressure. Having an aboveground subway as close to residences as this proposed Ontario Line will cause a health crisis in this neighbourhood.

And aboveground subway will also be vulnerable to weather in a way the underground subway is not. Stretches of aboveground subway trains cause disruptions to service.

The premier is willing to spend billions of dollars to bury the Eglinton LRT (https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2020/09/20/burying-the-eglinton-west-lrt-will-cost-an-extra-18-billion-and-may-serve-fewer-local-riders-so-why-do-it.html) on a fully paved, non-residential, treeless part of Eglinton Avenue that is near his home and riding, but unwilling to even hear community and environmental concerns of peole who will potentially live right beside the proposed six track aboveground subway/RER project that has had insufficient environmental and community impact assessments. It's not clear if older buildings near the proposed line can even withstand the amound of vibration this project will cause.

The residents of Riverside and Leslieville want more public transit. We want an underground subway and a relief line. We want the project to be done properly and add to our neighbrouhood, not destroy it. The city of Toronto deserves this subway to be done properly, and done only once. 

The federal governent should not fund this poorly planned and potentially harmful plan. Toronto needs well studied, well-planned, well-built infratstructure. The current Ontario Line plan is none of these things.