Important Developments on the Ontario Line Rail Expansion Project

We are writing to you to alert the IAAC about an important new development on the Ontario Line project and our Request to Designate the Ontario Project, #81350, under the Impact Assessment Act.

Our Community Advisory Committee was informed at our meeting with Metrolinx last night, Thursday, March, 26th, that they will be realigning the Ontario Line tracks to the west side of our railway 'Joint Corridor' section in Riverside-Leslieville. The tracks were originally planned and assessed to run on either side of the rail corridor and now they are moving this alignment to the west side adjacent to each other. Additionally, they will be moving the track that is currently on the corridor, over to the east side to accommodate their alignment change. This realignment will have new and large impacts for the surrounding community to the west side, and needs to be freshly studied and reassessed in their Environmental Conditions Report.

Metrolinx has said they would only include this new alignment in their Early Works Report coming out this fall, and that they will begin moving the existing track to the east side in the Early Works construction beginning next year, summer 2022.

We believe this realignment is entirely motivated by provincial budget cuts as they mentioned the substantial savings on the above ground station platforms at the East Harbour, Leslieville and Gerrard Stations, because now they only need to build one platform between the Ontario Line tracks on the west side - and not one on either side of the corridor as was planned. This will also widen the station footprint on the west side of the corridor, and as you have seen from our maps, there are many areas with homes with setbacks less than 10m to the rail corridor.

Additionally, we were told that two new bridges will be built and not expanded as originally planned: one on the west side of Dundas rail bridge, and one on the northside of Logan Avenue rail bridge.We have no further details about these plans or how they will be assessed in the Environmental Impact Report or their impacts on the surrounding homes and community.

We are urging the IAAC to take a close look at these new Ontario Line developments and the significant new impacts they will bring to the health and wellbeing of our community as an additional reason for the IAAC to undertake an Impact Assessment on the Ontario Line project.

Sincerely,

Shelley Kline

Riverside/Leslieville Lead, on behalf of

The Lakeshore East, Community Advisory Committee (LSE CAC)

www.LakeShoreEastTrains.com (http://www.LakeShoreEastTrains.com)

<Email address removed>