By Heidi Riedner- yorkregion.com
June 18, 2021
Thornhill residents are among many in York region looking forward to the extension of the Yonge subway line up to Richmond Hill, but they have become increasingly fed up and fearful ever since Metrolinx announced in March a revised route that will tunnel under homes in the Royal Orchard neighbourhood.
“We want the subway extension to happen. We have been waiting for this to happen for 10 years, but not like this,” said Na’ama Zukier.
“We are growing more helpless in our very reasonable desire to avoid our futures being permanently affected by the tunnelling under our homes and our community.”
Metrolinx said the decision to move the subway tunnel from its original Yonge Street alignment is due to a combination of factors, including reducing tunnelling costs by connecting the subway line to the existing CN rail corridor just beyond Royal Orchard to keep the project within the original $5.6-billion funding envelope.
But residents say the cost savings comes at their expense.
“Our homes and community are under threat from this,” said Gerald Goldberg, who is among hundreds of residents who have made repeated deputations to city council, written letters to their members of Parliament, members of provincial parliament and Metrolinx officials ever since the transit agency switched gears on the route.
They say the plan will have negative effects — both during the construction phase and upon completion — on their community, which includes Donalbain Crescent, Thorny Brae Drive, Banquo Road and Kirk Drive.
They insist there is no rationale to build a subway line through the heart of the neighbourhood, and no guarantee the ongoing mitigation suggested by Metrolinx to keep homes safe and residents comfortable will be delivered.
Referring to the prospect of subway trains running 10 metres underneath their basements 390 times a day as the “monster under the bed,” Goldberg and members of the Stop Option 3 residents group were looking to the city to back them up, thereby give their voice more clout with the province.
An overwhelming rejection by Markham council June 8 of Metrolinx’s Option 3 alignment may be the first step toward that.
Read complete story here: yorkregion.com