Recently, I joined Minister Mulroney to announce that we are one step closer to getting shovels in the ground on the Yonge North subway extension. The new subway extension is going to bring some much-needed relief for not only Thornhill but the GTA and York region.

Madam Speaker, did you know that Thornhill was the original transit-oriented community? If we look back, as early as the 19th century, Thornhill served as a critical junction for transportation and was the natural pit stop for travellers moving north. This included American Loyalists who were fleeing American invasion during the War of 1812. And in 1885, Toronto’s first commuter railway, the Metropolitan radial railway York-Simcoe was opened in Thornhill and stopped right there. As a key stopping point for travellers, Thornhill became a hub for social and economic activity.

I’m so delighted that this historic legacy of Thornhill is able to continue through the Yonge North subway extension. This project will undoubtedly bolster the local economy, bring jobs, and eliminate so many of the buses on Yonge Street—helping reduce greenhouse emissions and congestion.

As a resident of the original transit-oriented community, I look forward to the new subway helping the people of Thornhill and Richmond Hill and future generations of those in York region get where they need to go in a faster and more efficient way.