GO Transit
Mr. Jeff Burch [NDP MPP Niagara Centre]: My question is to the Premier. The NDP had been calling on the previous government for years to commit to a firm timeline for the expansion of GO train service to Niagara. Niagara was finally promised year-round service by 2021, but during the campaign, the Premier put the entire expansion into question, saying that he would have to review it. That would be taking transit in Niagara from bad to worse. So I ask, will this government commit here and now to the 2021 timeline for GO train expansion into Niagara?
Hon. Doug Ford: Minister of Transportation.
Hon. John Yakabuski: I thank the member from Niagara for the question.
The Premier has made it clear: We’re going to expand GO rail throughout this province, including all-day, two-way service to Bowmanville, Kitchener and Niagara. It’s clear, and we’ve made it clear, that Premier Ford will be known as the transit Premier.
We recognize the challenge of moving people in this province is one that hamstrings our economy. So we’re going to make sure that we move people more efficiently and we move goods more efficiently. One of the keys to an expanding, growing and flourishing economy is our ability to move people along on their daily commute.
So to the member: You can relax. We are committed to expanding the GO to Niagara. You can count on it.
The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Supplementary?
Mr. Jeff Burch: Expanding GO train service would have a positive impact on the Niagara economy. The expansion will inject $195 million into the Niagara region. And the minister didn’t answer the question. We asked when.
The expansion will create 2,400 new permanent, full-time jobs as well as another 1,200 full-time jobs during construction. It will connect all the people of Niagara with employment opportunities around the GTA, and it will connect the residents of the GTA to the region’s wineries, gaming and horse racing facilities and, of course, our iconic Niagara Falls.
So I ask again: Will this government commit today to the 2021 timeline for expanding GO train service to Niagara?
Hon. John Yakabuski: I appreciate the member’s commitment to this project, but it is no greater than our commitment here in the PC government under Premier Ford. We were elected on a plan to change what was going wrong in Ontario. Some of our first acts: to get rid of the carbon tax, to get rid of cap-and-trade, to fix the mess at hydro, to get the children and the students back to school at York University. So one of the things that we’re doing right with our first bill here, Bill 2, is to get that done.
But our commitment to expanding transit is, as I said yesterday, as ironclad as the rails that the GO will run on. We have absolutely made that clear. We’re working with our partners at GO and Metrolinx and reviewing all of the plans and all of the schedules so that we have a comprehensive and wholesome approach to developing transit here in the GTA and beyond, including—
The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Thank you.