The hope is that building these at the same time would help subsidize the construction. The effectiveness of that remains to be seen. There is a lot of precedent for this in Asia with great sucess. But we will see if the model can be replicated well in Toronto's context. (ex: in Honk Kong some malls and shops are placed within fare-paid-zones, the build rentals for long term income instead of condos, etc)
Expropriation? I wasn't aware the government was deporting foreign criminals for property reasons.
It's the right-wing government can do it with the least resistance. If the Liberals had been doing this, they would be called communists.
Normally the only lands used for profit are the ones needed for consuction. But some of the land owners are accusing Metrolinx of taking more land than need. That remains to be seen.
None of this is necessary for building transit. MX’s powers must be curtailed once this government is gone.
Metrolinx has become one of the worst things in this province. A completely unaccountable agency that seems more concerned with enabling corruption than with doing it's actual job of building transit.
Think about it this way. Some small town in Ontario can spend a pretty significant chunk of their money building (lets say tens of millions of dollars) some kind of facility, and Metrolinx can unilaterally size it, with zero legal compensation. MX can then turn around and use this property to generate revenue for themselves or private interests.
Hmm... curved platforms... Idk how much I like that...Some renderings of the East Harbour GO-OL station in this article.
Resubmission Proposes Residential Additions to East Harbour Plan | UrbanToronto
Recent documents submitted to the City of Toronto have revealed the latest plans for East Harbour, a massive development where the Don River meets Lake Shore Boulevard. The most striking change from previous versions is the addition of nine residential towers to the mix, which would bring...urbantoronto.ca
Yeah, I think those have always been the plan, as straightening the platforms would require a significant realignment of the rail corridor in this area. Curved platforms means they can minimise disruption to GO service.