It’s an embarrassment that Canada’s busiest airport still isn’t linked to Toronto’s downtown core by public transit and getting it done should be a priority, federal Transport Minister Lawrence Cannon said Friday.
In a speech to the Toronto Board of Trade, Cannon called it unbelievable that a world-class city like Toronto doesn’t have the transit infrastructure that’s so common in big cities around the world.
“It’s an embarrassment, I do believe that, and I hope the government of Ontario will see fit to change their mind on that,” Cannon later said in an interview.
The provincial government has allowed an environmental assessment to get bogged down for two years now and has dragged its heels on a project that could reduce gridlock, he said.
He said the province should do whatever it takes to get the important project launched, and could pursue a public-private partnership like the $2-billion Canada Line rail-based rapid transit service linking downtown Vancouver to its airport and beyond to Richmond, B.C.