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Collaboration is essential to making and sustaining meaningful connections. That was the key message on Friday, Dec. 15 during a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the new 91��ɫ Station, part of the multi-billion dollar Toronto-91��ɫ Spadina Subway extension (now part of Line1).

The Keele campus is home to two of the six new stations on the extension. The 91��ɫ and Pioneer Village Subway Stations are part of an 8.6 kilometre expansion of Line 1, which stretches from Sheppard West Station (formerly Downsview Station) northwest underneath 91��ɫ within the City of Toronto and north to the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre in The Regional Municipality of 91��ɫ. It is the first subway to cross the city of Toronto boundary into 91��ɫ Region and the first extension to be completed in 15 years.

Throughout the morning event, federal, provincial, regional and municipal politicians, from Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau to Toronto Mayor John Tory, spoke positively about the powerful collaboration between all levels of government and 91��ɫ to make the subway a reality. The combined total investment of about $3.2 billion from the Government of Canada, the Government of Ontario, the City of Toronto and 91��ɫ Region in this vital public transportation infrastructure, delivers on meaningful, sustainable and efficient changes that benefit the entire community.

“The expression ‘that it takes a village’ to build something so fundamentally important to the GTA community and to 91��ɫ, specifically, as this subway extension, is apparent by the number of people who advocated for it over so many years to make this happen,” said 91��ɫ President and Vice-Chancellor Rhonda L. Lenton at the event. “On behalf of 91��ɫ, our sincere appreciation to all our federal, provincial, regional and municipal representatives who collaborated to ensure that this project did not get abandoned. I am particularly pleased that Greg Sorbara gets to witness this opening as Chancellor of 91��ɫ.”

Central to the success in bringing the subway to 91��ɫ were efforts by Sorbara, who, in 1985 as a provincial politician, brought the various levels of government to together. With a “roll-up-our-sleeves-and-get-it-done” ethic, Sorbara worked tirelessly for three decades to make a subway to 91��ɫ a reality and his efforts have the added benefit in that he has constructed a strong foundation for future transit initiatives involving all levels of government.

This collaboration and the many connections it fostered did not go unnoticed by Canada’s Prime Minister. “This is the first rapid transit line to cross the city of Toronto boundary. This subway extension is an example of the kinds of things we can accomplish when we work together to make a real difference in the lives of Canadians,” said Trudeau, during a media conference in the 91��ɫ Station. “The Toronto-91��ɫ Spadina will mean a faster commute, less cars on the road and more money in people’s pockets as they trade their cars for a subway ticket.”

For her part, Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne called the opening a great day. “There are a whole lot of people who said ‘yes’ to this project,” said Wynne. She then paid tribute to Sorbara and the late Jim Flaherty, the federal minister of finance from 2006 to 2014, who worked together across party lines to connect the heart of Vaughan with the city of Toronto.

“Students at 91��ɫ can take the subway to school for the first time, instead of riding one of 2,000 buses that arrive on the Keele campus,” said Wynne. “Transit is about connections that make our lives better.”

Wynne announced that the cost of a fare for transit users who connect to the subway from GO Transit or the UP Express to $1.50 per trip, which she said would save an average transit rider some $720 per year.

“I cannot get enough of these occasions where we come together as partners to build transit,” said Toronto Mayor John Tory, “the reason I am so happy is that you can see what can be done when we work together.”

The opening of the subway is history in the making, said Lenton, noting that it creates new opportunities for the University and the communities it serves through increased access, connectedness and excellence.

The new Line 1 connection will benefit many of the University's community members and it speaks to the University's focus on sustainability, said Lenton. "Most of our students, faculty and staff commute to campus, so the subway provides a sustainable transportation option that will also reduce our community’s carbon footprint," she said. "A shorter, more efficient commute will mean more time to learn and innovate in our classrooms and labs, and more time to spend making an impact in our communities."

The stations, said Lenton, represent a new chapter in the 91��ɫ story, which offers an opportunity to reflect on the special mission of the University, its history and its future.

"I look forward to the many opportunities these stations will create for 91��ɫ to amplify the impact we have on the communities we serve through increased access, connectedness and excellence," she said. “Thanks to the tremendous vision and perseverance of those who have been advocates of the Toronto-91��ɫ Spadina Subway Extension, these stations embody a community-wide collaboration that reflects the sustained efforts of community members, TTC and government officials at every level.”

By Jenny Pitt-Clark, YFile editor

 

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On Dec. 17, 91��ɫ PhD candidate Mark Terry captured his first ride on the new subway. See his video diary of the experience.

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