Open Letter to Don Valley West Federal Election Candidates

Dear Don Valley West Federal Election Candidates,

We are SaveTPARK – a grassroots organization dedicated to fighting for the 30,000+ community members who call Thorncliffe Park home.

As you are aware, Metrolinx and the Government of Ontario plan to bulldoze through Thorncliffe Park to build a maintenance and storage facility for the Ontario Line. We want to see this transit project built, but not at the expense of our community.

This train yard will hurt local businesses, kill jobs, restrict desperately needed community space, and directly harm the very fabric of our community. We need to build communities around transit hubs - homes, jobs, and things that bring people together - not wastelands like this train yard. The location of this train yard completely contradicts the Transit Oriented Development we were promised with the Ontario Line. 

Of all the sites Metrolinx says they have considered for the site of the train yard, Thorncliffe Park has the lowest median family income, largest population of visible minorities, and the largest population density. In other words, we are the poorest and least white. We believe that it was for these very reasons we were selected as the site of the train yard compared to other far more suitable locations.

This election campaign, you will be going door to door in our Thorncliffe Park community asking for our votes. We will be expecting you to take a strong stand against this clear case of environmental racism.

The Federal Government is a funding partner in this transit project. They have a say in the Ontario Line’s route.  

We are asking you one clear and simple question for which we expect an answer:

If you are elected as our representative, will you use your influence in Government and Parliament to push for a new location for the maintenance and storage facility?

We will be sharing this letter with the Thorncliffe Park community. We will also be sharing your responses.

Thorncliffe Park and Don Valley West voters look forward to hearing from you.

Regards,

Aamir Sukhera

SaveTPARK