WHEREAS, there is a need for the Stouffville GO Transit Corridor Line to be fast, frequent, more stations and reliable transit service to support growth within the City of Toronto, City of Markham, Town of Whitchurch Stouffville, York Region and the GTAH, in order to fulfil the ambitious housing targets created by the province of Ontario and committed to by those same municipalities; and,
WHEREAS, Comprehensive land use plans and complete communities need to be created and coordinated at a supra-regional level with all affected municipalities within the 416 and 905 area code, spearheading a major transformation of the Stouffville GO Transit Line to unlock economic opportunity, job creation, increase ridership, and optimize investment in rail transit infrastructure; and
WHEREAS, New transit investments and infrastructure must be coordinated with existing and planned services such as the high speed Crosstown 407 Corridor; and,
WHEREAS, A holistic, comprehensive plan would produce a far more efficient and effective two-way all-day corridor of destinations surrounding GO “Transit-Oriented Development” Stations coupled with 24-hour land uses that focus on the public realm and community amenities to create a vibrant and liveable economic corridor that is not premised on the current commuter model between the 905 and downtown Toronto areas; and,
WHEREAS Toronto, Markham and Stouffville Growth Strategy describes the goals, strategies, and actions agreed to by the municipal partnership to pursue sustainable growth and development to 2053 and beyond. It is based on containing growth inside the urban containment boundary, and focusing this growth on Toronto, Markham and Stouffville’s Urban Growth Centres, Transit Oriented Communities and other areas well-served by frequent transit service. It aims to support sustainable transportation choices with an emphasis on Toronto/Markham/Stouffville land use patterns that promote walking, cycling, and transit; and,
WHEREAS, Corridor level planning can attract more economic development opportunities and substantial investment, facilitate the establishment facilitate the establishment of I get consistent design and development standards across the entire corridor, leading to a more cohesive, aesthetic and functional environment, avoiding abrupt transitions between different station areas, encouraging the creation of pedestrian friendly pathways, bike lanes, and other non-motorized transportation options that connect various stations and the surrounding area; and,
WHEREAS, Corridor-Level planning promotes active transportation and enhances overall liability of the community, allowing for more effective public engagement, while assessing how environmental impacts and considerations can be assessed, and on a broader scale, evaluating the overall ecological footprint, preserving an increasing green spaces and implementing sustainable practises that benefit the entire quarter; and,
WHEREAS Corridor-level planning allows for more effective public engagement to get the community buy-in. The stakeholders and Community can provide input on the overall vision and priorities for the entire corridor, fostering a sense of ownership and involvement in the planning process. Regular open Corridor Committee meetings with stakeholders and ratepayers will be engaged in the corridor planning process; and,
WHEREAS, Planning and urban design can, at the corridor level, facilitate the establishment of consistent design and development across the entire corridor. It can lead to a more cohesive, aesthetic and functional environment, avoiding abrupt transitions between different station areas; and,
WHEREAS, by planning at the corridor level, environmental impacts and considerations can be assessed and mitigated on a broader scale. This might include evaluating the overall ecological footprint, preserving and increasing green spaces, and implementing sustainable practices that benefit the entire corridor, and,
WHEREAS, Conduct POC IoT Studies on solutions that will address society’s corridor deficiency, reduce transit capital and operating costs, address society’s high cost of living (Food) and also reduce the carbon footprint; and,
WHEREAS, Corridor-level planning allows for more effective public engagement to get their community buy in. The stakeholders and community can provide input on the overall vision and priorities for the entire corridor, fostering a sense of ownership and involvement in the planning process. Regular open corridor committee meetings with stakeholders and ratepayers will be engaged in the corridor planning process; and,
WHEREAS, Appendix to this outline’s key consideration, precedents and best practices for this type of corridor-level planning.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED:
- THAT THE PROVINCE OF ONTARIO BE REQUESTED to form an inter-governmental, inter-municipal, stakeholders and agency steering committee and working group to undertake a comprehensive study, followed by development of a plan that will unlock the land use, economic and transit opportunity of the Stouffville GO Transit Line Corridor and its surrounding lands; and,
- THAT A STEERING COMMITTEE MADE UP OF REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE FEDERAL, PROVINCIAL AND MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENTS AND A GOVERNMENT TECHNICAL WORKING GROUP be supported by various experts, including urban planners, urban design architects, engineers, economists, environmental specialists, and community stakeholders. Collaboration between government agencies, transit authorities, and private entities would be essential to successfully realize the transformation of the Stouffville GO transit line Corridor and the evolution of Transit-Oriented Developments; and,
- That This Resolution be Provided to the Following:
- The Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada
- Chrystia Freeland, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance
- Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions, and Intergovernmental Affairs
- Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
- Francois-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science, and Industry
- Sean Fraser, Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities
- Mary Ng, Export Promotion, International Trade and Economic Development
- Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change
- Pablo Rodriguez, Minister of Transport and Quebec Lieutenant
- Soraya Martinez Ferrada, Minister of Tourism and Minister responsible for the Economic Development
- Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec
- Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Sport and Physical Activity
- Kamal Khera, Minister of Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities
- Filomena Tassi, Minister responsible for Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern ON
- Rechie Valdez, Minister of Small Business
- Pierre Poilievre, Leader of the Official Opposition
- Jagmeet Singh, Leader of the New Democratic Party of Canada
- Doug Ford, Premier of Ontario
- Paul Calandra, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing
- Kinga Surma, Minister of Infrastructure
- Prabmeet Sarkaria, Minister of Transportation
- Vic Fedeli, Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade
- Peter Bethlenfalvy, Minister of Finance
- Lisa Thompson, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs
- Todd Smith, Minister of Energy
- Neil Lumsden, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport
- Phil Verster, President and Chief Executive Officer, Metrolinx
- Donald Wright, Chair of the Board of Directors, Metrolinx
- Michael Lindsay, President and Chief Executive Officer, Infrastructure Ontario
- Marit Stiles, Leader of the New Democratic Party of Ontario and Leader of the Official Opposition
- Bonnie Crombie, Leader of the Liberal Party of Ontario
- John Fraser, Interim Leader of the Liberal Party of Ontario
- Brian Bentz, President and CEO, Alectra Utilities
- Brian MacPherson, Executive Director, 2030 Commonwealth Games
- Debbie Low, President & CEO, Canadian Sports Institute of Ontario
- York Region Councillors
- Mayor and Councillors, Markham, Richmond Hill, Vaughan, Whitchurch Stouffville
- Mayor Olivia Chow and Councillors, City of Toronto
- CEOs and Commissioners of Planning, York Region, Markham, Richmond Hill, Vaughan
- City Clerks – Markham, Richmond Hill, Vaughan, Durham, Brampton, Mississauga, Toronto
- Local York Region MPPs and MPs
- A Better GTA – An Alliance of GTA Resident and Ratepayers Groups in the GTA, and,
- Media - CBC, CTV, City News, Toronto Star, Globe & Mail, York Region.com.
THAT THE FOLLOWING MATTERS BE CONSIDERED AS PART OF THE CORRIDOR PLANNING PROCESS (Appendices for details):
- Provide land use, typologies and communities that optimize the frequent rail transit investment where communities are seamlessly linked by high frequency public LRT
- Provide Complete Destinations (Retail, Office and Residential build over the TOD stations) Transit-Oriented Development Stations that are seamlessly linked with 24-hour uses that create two-way all-day traffic between Toronto’s Union Station and Stouffville’s Lincolnville Station. (Involve Pension Funds and other Capital Investors)
- Evaluate and implement autonomous vehicles in a geo-fenced environment and micro-mobility connections to support first-mile/last-mile solutions at rail TOC station areas
- Create a multi-modal corridor of transit supported neighborhoods (like a string of pearls along the corridor)
- Create complete communities and hierarchy of destinations, employment centres and amenities within the sub-centres that generate and attract two-way all-day traffic
- Examine opportunities for renewables, district energy generation, solar, wind, geo-thermal solutions within the Stouffville GO Transit corridor
- Provide a Range of Housing Choices and Affordability
- Balance City-Wide and Regional Goals with the Existing Communities and Its Context
- Ensure Job Space and Diversity through a Comprehensive Job Creation Strategy
- Create digital twins of the affected municipalities that utilize the internet of things to monitor utilities and the transportation grid in real time and improve analysis, projection and development review
ESTABLISH A TOC CORRIDOR PLANNING STAKEHOLDER AND RATEPAYER COMMITTEE:
This is essential for creating efficient, safe, and sustainable transportation systems that serve the community and the GTHA.
The Tri-Government Political Steering Committee Adopts a multi-disciplinary approach that includes:
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· Transportation,
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· Economic Development
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· Land Use Planning,
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· Job Creation – New Emerging Technology Solutions
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· Urban Design
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· Community Engagement
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· Conduct Proof of Concepts
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· Critical Review of Transit Infrastructure
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· 3D Modelling to Scale
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· Charette, Visual Preference Survey
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· Electric or Hydrogen
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· Building over Transit GO Station and Platforms
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THAT THE FOLLOWING PROGRAMS BE CONSIDERED TO REIMAGINE THE STOUFFVILLE GO TRANSIT LINE AS A COMPREHENSIVE METRO TRANSIT CORRIDOR WITH INTEGRATED URBAN DEVELOPMENT AND SUSTAINABLE FEATURES:
- Conduct a Technical and Financial Feasibility Study: To assess the technical, financial, and operational viability of the proposed transformation of the Stouffville GO transit line to Metro (Subway) type Service:
- Transportation Demand Analysis: Analyze the current and projected transportation demand along the corridor, considering population growth, employment distribution and other demographic factors.
- Infrastructure and Engineering Study: Conduct engineering study to determine whether to tunnel, or elevate, or grade separate, and other infrastructure upgrades along the corridor.
- Environmental Impact Assessment: Evaluate potential environmental impacts of transit line upgrades, new stations, increased urban development, density, and develop strategies to mitigate any negative effects.
- Driverless Train with Automation Train Control Technology Study: Explore the technical requirements, costs and benefits of implementing driverless LRT technology, and automatic train control.
- Station Area Master Plans: Develop station master plans for proposed TOCs. These plans should include mixed-use development concepts, urban design guidelines, land use strategies, and strategies for creating complete destination stations. Consider factors like job distribution, housing density, retail, entertainment facilities, creating great public realm, green spaces, and building on top of TOC stations.
- Land Use and Zoning Studies: Work with local municipalities to update zoning regulations and land use policies that encourage mixed-use development and don’t encourage single-family houses and townhouses in TOCs.
- Transit-Oriented Development (TOC) Strategy: Establish design guidelines to ensure aesthetic coherence, functionality, and sustainability in the development of stations and surrounding areas. These guidelines would encompass building heights, aesthetics, green spaces, and public amenities.
- 3D Modelling Solutions: Create 3D digital twins and printed models for each TOC station area.
- Economic and Job Analysis: Assess the potential for job creation along the transit corridor. Identify sectors that could thrive in proximity to transit stations, such as technology hubs, commercial centres, and research institutions. This study must consider how to attract businesses to establish their presence at each station.