Crombie pitches subway plan to link Mississauga to Toronto

Bonnie Crombie says she would push a plan to extend Toronto’s Line 2 west from Kipling into Mississauga if elected mayor on Oct. 26. The proposal centers on a joint business case, new talks with transit partners and an initial study she wants underway within her first year.

Why it matters: - Mississauga has no subway service today, even though the city has 717,961 residents and ranks as Canada’s seventh most populous municipality. - A direct Line 2 extension could give Mississauga riders a one-seat trip into Toronto’s subway network and expand rapid transit access to jobs, schools and other destinations. - The proposal would also put Mississauga on a similar footing with Vaughan, which has had subway service at Vaughan Metropolitan Centre since 2017, and Scarborough, where the province is building a Line 2 extension.

What happened: - Mississauga mayoral candidate Bonnie Crombie unveiled a Subway Action Plan on Oct. 20 to extend Line 2 Bloor-Danforth west from Kipling station. - Crombie said the plan would guide her first 100 days as mayor if she wins the Oct. 26 election. - The proposed route would run west from Kipling, serve Sherway Gardens and continue into Mississauga City Centre. - Crombie said the plan is meant to connect Mississauga directly to Toronto’s subway network.

The details: - Crombie would meet with the Government of Ontario, Metrolinx, the City of Toronto and the Toronto Transit Commission to advance a joint business case. - Those talks would seek agreement on scope, funding, responsibilities and the delivery schedule for the project. - Crombie would also meet federal representatives to seek support for planning and to discuss federal funding participation. - Crombie would bring a motion to Mississauga City Council to start the city’s participation in the business case, identify Mississauga’s share of planning funding and direct staff to negotiate partnership agreements. - The business case would examine possible routes and stations, ridership, construction and operating costs, and connections to the Hazel McCallion Line, GO Transit, MiWay and the Mississauga Transitway. - The study would assess the Dundas corridor alongside other technically feasible alignments. - The study would also examine whether elevated construction on suitable sections could lower costs and shorten construction time. - Crombie wants the jointly funded study underway within her first year in office. - She wants the initial business case completed within two years of taking office. - The findings would guide engineering work, environmental work and funding negotiations needed to move toward construction. - Quarterly public reports would track completed work, spending, funding commitments and unresolved decisions. - The full Mississauga subway action plan is available on the campaign website.

Between the lines: - The plan is a bid to frame transit expansion as a long-term regional project that requires provincial, federal and municipal coordination. - The emphasis on a business case first signals that Crombie is pitching process and partnership before any construction timeline. - The campaign is also tying the subway proposal to broader transit promises, including service improvements on existing and planned lines.

What’s next: - Crombie says she would seek to have the study launched within her first year and completed within two years of taking office. - The business case would then set up the next phase of engineering, environmental review and funding talks. - Crombie’s broader Mississauga Moves 2.0 plan also calls for the Hazel McCallion Line to open to passengers no later than Dec. 31, 2028, bus service every 15 minutes or better on major MiWay corridors, and continued advocacy for all-day, two-way service on the Milton GO line. - The Mississauga election is on Oct. 26, and the city’s website has details on voting.