Joint Statement: The Waterfront East LRT is an opportunity to seize now

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An aerial image of Waterfront Campus

On October 31, the City of Toronto’s Executive Committee will be asked to advance the Waterfront East LRT. We encourage all orders of government to work together to ensure we build the eastern waterfront and Port Lands with public transit and maximize the potential for housing, jobs and new public spaces for the people of Toronto.

The future plans for Toronto’s eastern waterfront project at least 75,000 new homes for 130,000 more residents, and 50,000 more jobs by 2040. Building the Waterfront East LRT will unlock this housing and employment potential. This is an opportunity to help build a more affordable, sustainable, and prosperous city, province and country.

Each year across the waterfront, the number of new residents continues to grow. The number of visitors is rebounding to pre-pandemic levels. Offices and educational institutions are expanding or relocating to the waterfront. With flood protection work in the Port Lands nearing completion, close to one-third of the waterfront revitalization area will be unlocked for development.

New neighbourhoods can only fulfill their potential if the people who live and work there can come and go easily. Seamless transit connectivity is vital to make homes, jobs and attractions for visitors accessible. This transit line is critical to connecting some of the most exciting development opportunities in Canada, from the eastern waterfront through the West Don and the Port Lands. There are significant affordable housing opportunities where plans call for up to 30% affordable units and density could be increased significantly with transit connectivity.

The time is now to fund and build the Waterfront East LRT.

Signed,

  • Basin Media Studios LP
  • Jeff Brenner, Partner, Castlepoint Numa Inc.
  • Mike-Paul Neufville & Marya Qasem Zada, Owners, Café Le Neuf
  • Mark Russo, Local Union Coordinator, UBC Local 27, Carpenters' Regional Council
  • Dani Reiss, Chairman & CEO, Canada Goose
  • Mary Rowe, President & CEO, Canadian Urban Institute
  • Marketa Evans, President & CEO, Colleges Ontario
  • Mitchell Cohen, President & CEO, The Daniels Corporation
  • Drs. Amir & Ali Khadivi, Cindy Caklos, DentalCentres.com
  • Michael Cooper, Chief Responsibility Officer, Dream Unlimited
  • East Waterfront Community Association
  • Udo Schliemann, Principal Creative Director, Entro Communications Inc.
  • Don Boyle, CEO, Exhibition Place Toronto
  • Neil Vohrah, President, High Rise North America, Great Gulf
  • Dr. Gervan Fearon, President, George Brown College
  • Troy Burtch, Senior Manager, Great Lakes Brewery
  • Shey Clark, Vice President, Great Lakes Schooner Company
  • HousingNowTO
  • Hines Canada
  • Marah Braye, CEO, Harbourfront Centre
  • Dr. Suzanne Bober, Owner, Harbourfront Chiropractic
  • Ken Tanenbaum, Vice Chair, Kilmer Group
  • Corey Persic & Katie Yamamoto, Owners, Kinetic Labs
  • Yung Wu, CEO, MaRS Discovery District  
  • David Crombie, Mayor of Toronto, 1972-1978
  • Art Eggleton, Mayor of Toronto, 1980-1991
  • Barbara Hall, Mayor of Toronto, 1994-1997
  • John Tory, Mayor of Toronto, 2014-2023
  • Peter Menkes, President, Commercial/Industrial, Menkes Developments Ltd.
  • Christina Iacoucci, President, NAIOP Greater Toronto
  • Armen Nazarian, Founder & Principal Lawyer, Nazarian Law Professional Corp.  
  • Neil Pakey, CEO, NieuportAviation
  • Jeffrey Maddox, President, Nokia Canada Inc.
  • Tim Hudak, CEO, Ontario Real Estate Association
  • Anson Kwok, VP of Sales & Marketing, Pinnacle International
  • Michael Deluce, President & CEO, PorterAirlines
  • RJ Steenstra, CEO, PortsToronto
  • Nathalie Lalonde, General Manager, Radisson Blu
  • Nadia Todorova, Executive Director Residential & Civil Construction Alliance of Ontario
  • Max Davidson, Acting Director of Communications & Internal, Student Association of George Brown College
  • Ilana Altman & David Carey, Co-Executive Directors, The Bentway Conservancy
  • Carolyn Vesely, Interim Director, The Power Plant Contemporary Art Galler
  • Andria Babbington, President & Vice-Chancellor, Toronto & York Region Labour Council
  • Chris Campbell, Chair, Toronto Community Benefits Network
  • GilesGherson, President & CEO, Toronto Region Board of Trade
  • Junior Sritharan, CEO, Reign Company
  • Reece Martin, RMTransit YouTube Channel
  • Anjuli Solanki, Program Director, STEPS Public Art
  • Jim Ritchie, President, Tridel
  • Scott Mabury, VP, Operations & Real Estate Partnerships, University of Toronto
  • Peter Gillis, General Manager, Westin Harbour Castle
  • West Don Lands Committee
  • Arthur Fleischmann, Country Manager, WPP Canada
  • York Quay Neighbourhood Association
  • Kevin Currie, Co-Owner, and Chair, Waterfront BIA, Wheel Excitement
  • Tim Kocur, Executive Director, Waterfront BIA