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Could you imagine the City of Toronto without Wellesley, College, or Dundas station? Unless we make our voices heard now, Willowdale’s future will not include a station at Cummer to serve 10,400+ future residents and the current 5,000+ Willowdale residents who live within a 0.8km distance from Yonge and Cummer.
According to City Transportation Staff, Cummer Station should be considered because:
Cummer station would be similarly spaced between Steeles and Finch Stations as the existing North York Centre Station is between Finch and Sheppard Stations.
A subway station has been anticipated in this location for many years.
Ontario Land Tribunal has operated under the assumption of the station being delivered as part of the YNSE and has approved of developments accordingly.
The recently adopted Yonge North Secondary Plan also provides for a higher-order transit station at this location along with corresponding density.
The distance between Wellesley Station and Bloor or College is a similar, if not shorter distance. This intersection is slated to become a densely populated and vibrant community that deserves to be supported by a subway station.
My Motion
I have submitted an 11th hour URGENT Motion for Council Meeting on Oct 11-13 urging the Mayor, the City Manager and the CFO to request the province to fully fund the design and construction of Cummer Station. The province previously gave the City of Toronto an August deadline for the City to pay for the station. The City does not have the finances to pay $445-470 million for a subway station (nor the $320-345 million required for a rough-in). We need Provincial support to include Cummer with the Yonge Street North Subway Extension (YSNE), which is a provincial project. The Province is about to embark on procurement and design for YSNE. We cannot let this happen without the inclusion of Cummer.
Now we need your voice! It’s time for Torontonians to write to Premier Ford, provincial ministers and the mayor about the importance of Cummer Station to Willowdale and the City of Toronto’s future. Please scroll down for instructions on how to advocate.
The Yonge North Subway Extension (YNSE) will benefit the environment, the economy, the Willowdale community and communities to our north. It will help 15,000+ people easily choose transit over driving!
Approved Density
The significant amount of new development in the pipeline for the Cummer Station area is predicated on the expectation of this subway station. On the east side of Yonge Street, 9 towers are appealed or under construction:
4 at the former Newtonbrook Plaza (1674 units under construction), and
5 in the block to the north of Cummer Avenue (1542 units appealed).
On the west side of Yonge, Street City Planning expects to settle appeals on developments at:
5800 Yonge (4 towers, 1496 units),
6080 Yonge (262 units, 20 storeys), and
the redevelopment of Inez Court (2 towers, 551 units), among others.
The result of these developments will be 5525 new residential units as well as a significant amount of non-residential uses. City Planning anticipates that further development will follow the adoption of the Yonge North Secondary Plan and confirmation that a YNSE Cummer Station will be delivered.
What Happened?
Metrolinx descoped two of the proposed stations: Cummer and Royal Orchard; “City and TTC staff raised concerns…that the significant development potential and recent activity in the [Cummer] station area, which far outpaces that of other stations, was not sufficiently considered.”
The Concession
In an effort to help fund Cummer Station, the Province of Ontario did agree to allocate the proceeds from transit-oriented community opportunities for developments surrounding the proposed Cummer Station to the City of Toronto. However, due to extensive existing development approvals, there won’t be sufficient funds flowing from these charges to fund an entire new subway station. Development surrounding Steeles Station is however at a much earlier stage and there are expected to be significantly more proceeds from TOCs available in coming years to fund Steeles Station. The Province of Ontario has many remaining opportunities to recover costs through TOCs along Yonge Street from the proposed Cummer Station towards Yonge/Steeles.
What’s next on the Cummer Station journey?
The City of Toronto does not have funds to build Cummer Station on its own and the date to mobilize these funds has passed (August 2023). The window is quickly closing to build Cummer Station for generations to come. With low parking ratios, new developments are being built to strongly encourage residents to choose other forms of transportation. The 15,000+ residents surrounding Cummer station will be forced to walk further or find alternative parking arrangements. This is not how we build a future-oriented community. The residents most affected by this have yet to move into these approved developments.
Act Now
Please ACT NOW and urge the Province of Ontario to fully fund Cummer Station by sending the advocacy letter at this link to Premier Ford, provincial ministers and our local MPP Minister Stan Cho who together must stand with Willowdale residents of today and tomorrow. This is how democracy works; every voice is important. We need YOUR VOICE!
The Ontario Government must make a decision: to either stifle nearly 50 years of progress or foster 50 more years of growth in Willowdale
Click the button below to EMAIL our provincial officials today and ask them to fund CUMMER STATION!