I thank the Leader of the Opposition for the question. But it is so ironic to hear the leader and members opposite ask about problems that are faced with the Eglinton Crosstown, because we brought forward a bill to this House in 2020 to address a lot of the problems related to a lot of those delays that were created that we saw in the Eglinton Crosstown, Mr. Speaker. It was a bill called the Building Transit Faster Act. It couldn’t have been more clear what the intention of that bill was. And what did the opposition do, Mr. Speaker? They voted against it.

So for the Leader of the Opposition to stand in this House and ask why we’re not building transit faster, I would ask her, why did they vote against that important piece of legislation so that we can avoid a lot of the problems with the Eglinton Crosstown, get shovels in the ground faster and build the transit that the city of Toronto and York region and Hamilton deserve?

And what have we seen? In 2019, the Premier introduced the most ambitious public transit expansion plan anywhere in North America. Since then, Mr. Speaker, we’ve seen shovels in the ground on the new Ontario Line, a line they voted against. We have seen significant progress on tunnelling on the Eglinton Crosstown West extension. The tunnel is halfway done. In Scarborough, we’ve seen significant progress on the Scarborough subway extension, and just a few weeks ago, we announced the RFQ for the Yonge North subway extension.

They claim to believe in and stand up for transit riders and for the people of the city of Toronto, York region and Hamilton, but at the end of the day, the Leader of the Opposition and her party always vote against it.

We’re building public transit. We are supporting it—

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker, that member opposite knows full well how important it is to make sure that people who are building a transit system have the time to make sure they do it right. That’s why our government called a public inquiry into what happened at the Ottawa LRT. That’s why, learning the lessons that Justice Hourigan put forth in his report on the problems that plagued the Ottawa LRT, our government is determined to make sure that with respect to the Crosstown we do it right and we make sure that we build this system properly and that it is safe for transit riders, that it’s safe for transit operators, and it will open when it is safe for all.

In addition to the well-known ideological opposition the NDP have toward building housing, they’re also opposed to building transit. They will find every excuse to not build transit. That’s why they voted against our subway plan. Even though they get up in this House every day asking for more transit, they vote against it when they have the chance.

We put forward a plan to address the transit deficit that we inherited from the Liberals, and they voted against it. They voted against building transit faster, which is actually hard to believe given the challenges that we are facing with the Eglinton Crosstown.

The legislation we’ve brought forward—the purpose of that is to address the mistakes of the previous Liberal government when they signed the contract in 2011 with Crosslinx. This is a contract we have inherited. We take responsibility for making sure that we get this done, but when we do that, we commit to the people of Ontario. We’re going to get it done and it is going to be safe for transit riders when it does open.

We have learned the lessons that the Liberals should have learned when they were in power. We have taken those lessons and we’ve put them in a piece of legislation. We put them as part of our subway plan for the GTA, but the members opposite voted against it. They would rather the people of the GTA sit on congested roads as opposed to building and riding on new subways and extended lines. That is unacceptable for the people of Toronto.

We’re committed to getting it done. We’re standing up for transit riders, and we’re standing up for taxpayers.

Let me say to the Leader of the Opposition we share her frustration with the delays with the Eglinton Crosstown. The litigation that was announced yesterday is another delay tactic by CTS, which is completely unacceptable.

People who live along Eglinton and businesses who are there have suffered greatly. But our government is focused on making sure the Eglinton Crosstown opens as quickly as possible but when it opens, that it is safe for transit riders.

Let me be clear, Mr. Speaker: Our government has been looking out for taxpayers since day one. That’s why when we brought forward our plans for subways for the GTA, we introduced legislation, the Building Transit Faster Act, to make sure we can get shovels in the ground faster, which reduces delays and also helps control costs. But the Leader of the Opposition and her party voted against our plan. They voted against building transit faster. We’re going to get it done for the people of Ontario, and we’re going to stand up for transit riders and taxpayers.

Mr. Speaker, I understand the frustration that community members feel with respect to project delays on the Eglinton Crosstown LRT. It’s a project that we inherited from the Liberals, and from the beginning, unfortunately, they mismanaged the project.

Our government has been committed to doing transit differently. We brought forward legislation, the Building Transit Faster Act, that the opposition unfortunately voted against.

Mr. Speaker, the member opposite knows better than almost anyone in this House that there are risks associated with rushing a project. Transit riders deserve a lot better than the experiences of the Ottawa LRT.

That’s why our focus has been—and I’ve been clear on this since the beginning. Our focus is making sure that the crosstown opens as soon as possible, but that when it does, it is safe and reliable for transit riders.

With respect to the specific issue on the Sloane platform, repairs are being made on a section of concrete that was identified through Metrolinx’s very strict quality control and inspection process, and there are no additional costs required to fix this platform.

What people of Toronto don’t need are politicians forcing a system to open before it is ready. That is what happened in Ottawa when the mayor of Ottawa demanded that they shorten the testing period. And then what happened? Derailments. Transit riders were stranded and couldn’t get to work and couldn’t get home.

We will not rush a system to open before it is ready. Transit riders deserve better, and that’s what they will get under this government.

As I indicated in my previous answer, our government has provided over $2 billion of support for public transit systems. We have been there. We do it through the Safe Restart Agreement, but also through our gas tax funding, which we continue to give every year to public transit systems for operating budgets.

With respect to the Crosstown LRT, our government has been waiting for this system, just as everyone has, to open in a way that is safe and reliable. That is what is essential.

We have been supporting public transit since the beginning. We’re building more public transit to make sure that people can get where they need to go, and we’re doing it in a way that’s more efficient. We brought forward the Building Transit Faster Act to make sure that the delays that occur because of permitting and municipal service work can be coordinated with our construction work.

The member opposite and his party voted against the Building Transit Faster Act. They voted against our subway plan for the greater Toronto area, our support for GO expansion. They talk about supporting public transit, but, really, Mr. Speaker, they’re—

Ontarians deserve a transit system that is reliable and safe to use, and right now, our focus is on ensuring that the Eglinton Crosstown is safe when it is complete. Speaker, we’ve learned from the experiences in Ottawa with the Ottawa LRT that you cannot rush a transit system to open before it is ready to do so.

The project is currently in one of its most critical phases that will inform with greater certainty exactly when we can say that it will be complete. But progress has been made. We’re seeing major intersections along Eglinton open, including Mount Pleasant and Brentcliffe Road. This is good news for businesses, for residents, for commuters.

We know this is frustrating. That’s why our government has provided funding for businesses that have been affected. But, Mr. Speaker, let me be clear: We are focused on getting it open as soon as it is safe to do so.

Interjection.

Mr. Speaker, I have said since the beginning that I understand the frustration and we are working very hard—Metrolinx is overseeing the projects—to ensure that it opens in a way that is safe for transit riders. That is what Torontonians deserve. And from the member opposite who knows how important it is to not rush a transit system to open before it is ready, it is ironic that he is asking such a question. I wonder if he has actually read the recommendations and the report that came out of the public inquiry into the Ottawa LRT.

Mr. Speaker, we are focused on make sure that Torontonians get the transit system they deserve, even though the members opposite keep voting against it.

I thank the member opposite for the question. Speaker, the delays that are plaguing the Eglinton Crosstown LRT are frustrating for everyone, for people living along the line and for businesses that are there. As the member opposite knows, we inherited this project from the previous Liberal government, which mismanaged the project from the start. Right now, Speaker, our focus is on making sure that the Eglinton Crosstown LRT is safely operational as soon as possible.

Let’s be clear, we are continuing to make progress on our priority projects for the GTA: the new Ontario Line and the three extensions. But to get those projects built in a different way, we passed the Building Transit Faster Act, an act that’s designed to address a lot of the issues that the member opposite is raising. Mr. Speaker, that member and the party opposite voted against the Building Transit Faster Act. They voted against getting shovels in the ground and getting transit built faster. I think the question that should be asked in this House is why they voted against such an important piece of legislation to get transit built faster.

Mr. Speaker, let’s be clear: We have been there for businesses along the Eglinton Crosstown LRT. We have provided supports for those businesses that have been impacted by construction. Metrolinx has been collaborating not only with the city of Toronto but also with local BIAs to establish a joint committee that’s responsible for determining where these funds should go.

Mr. Speaker, we know that this has been a difficult go for the people along the Eglinton Crosstown LRT. That’s why we’re so determined to do it differently.