Remarks by the Deputy Prime Minister on capacity improvements coming to Bloor-Yonge Station

December 9, 2022

Hello everyone.

I would like to begin by acknowledging that we are gathered on the traditional territories of many nations, including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples.

It is great to be back home in Toronto with so many colleagues and a strong team from the city, the province, and of course from the TTC. 

I am here as Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister, but most of all I am here as a constituency MP. And I am really glad we’re making this announcement and this investment in the TTC—and particularly in Bloor-Yonge station.

This is the busiest subway station in the city and, therefore, in the country. It’s one of the busiest stations in North America. And this investment is going to make the lives of a lot of people who live in my riding and across this wonderful city much better.

On Saturday mornings, I travel through Bloor-Yonge station after dropping my son off at Ukrainian school in Etobicoke. And even on Saturday mornings it is an extremely busy station. It’s the crossroads—the heart—of Toronto. There are families, people going to work, going to have fun. That is the sign of a healthy, thriving city. It shows why public transit is so important. And it also shows why these investments are so urgently needed.

That is why I am proud to announce today that our government is investing $500 million into capacity improvements at the Bloor-Yonge station.

Working with Minister Mulroney’s government and Mayor Tory and the City of Toronto, , we are building new and expanded platforms to help with rush hour crowding. We are improving accessibility with barrier-free entrances and exits and we are adding new elevators, escalators, and even new public art.

Toronto is getting bigger every day. And as our government works to create more jobs, welcome more skilled new Canadians, and build more affordable housing, Toronto’s appeal to the world will only continue to grow.

In 2019, we announced $10.4 billion for four major public transit infrastructure projects here in the GTA—the Scarborough Subway Extension, Eglinton Crosstown West, the Ontario Line, and the Yonge North Subway Extension. When complete, these projects will provide more than six million people with better access to services and public transit options across 1,200 kilometres.

People here in Toronto need and deserve transit infrastructure that grows with them. Our government has—and will—continue to invest in Toronto’s transit infrastructure—including as part of the billions of dollars in predictable funding we announced for communities across Canada in 2021.

The investments we are making today will be critical to the future of Toronto’s economy and the daily lives of hundreds of thousands of Torontonians. They will help to build a transit system that is reliable for everyone, accessible for everyone, safe for everyone, and a Toronto that we can all continue to be so very proud of.

As Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister—and, above all, as the local MP, and as someone who lives in and loves this wonderful city—I am really looking forward to the completion of this great project.

Thank you very much.