Bonnie Crombie, the former mayor of Mississauga, has declared that extending a subway line to her city will be one of her main focuses if she is re-elected to the position she held for ten years.
Crombie announced today that if she wins in next Monday’s election, she’ll kick off the subway initiative within her first 100 days back in office.
Her vision, as she shared with reporters in downtown Mississauga on Tuesday morning, is to extend the TTC’s Line 2 (Bloor-Danforth) from Kipling station to Sherway Gardens and further into the center of Mississauga near Square One Shopping Centre.
This extension would enable residents to access the subway in Mississauga and “travel directly into Toronto’s subway network,” explained Crombie, who was Mississauga’s mayor from 2014 until 2024 before moving on to lead the Ontario Liberal Party.
“Too many people leave home before their children wake up and struggle to get back for dinner,” said Crombie. “Residents deserve more time with their families and better access to jobs and opportunities. Bringing the subway to Mississauga would help build that future.”
Crombie is one of four leading candidates running for mayor in Canada’s seventh-largest city, alongside current Mayor Carolyn Parrish and city councillors Alvin Tedjo and Dipika Damerla among a total of 14 contenders.
With record-breaking advance polling having taken place earlier this month, other eligible voters in Mississauga will cast their votes on Oct. 26 if they choose.
Regarding her subway proposal, Crombie mentioned that within her first 100 days after winning, she plans to:
Meet with the Ontario government, Metrolinx (the provincial transit agency), Toronto officials, and the Toronto Transit Commission to push forward a joint business case while discussing its scope, funding details, responsibilities, and timelines. Engage with federal representatives for support in planning and start conversations about federal contributions toward financing the project. Present a motion at city council aimed at initiating Mississauga’s involvement in developing the business case while determining its share of planning costs and directing staff to work on necessary partnership agreements.
Crombie’s campaign indicated that this business case for extending the subway into Mississauga would “examine potential routes and stations along with ridership projections, construction expenses, operating costs, and how it connects with broader transit networks.”
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“It would evaluate options along the Dundas corridor as well as other viable routes while investigating whether elevated sections could save on costs and speed up construction.”
Additionally, Crombie aims to have this jointly funded study launched within her first year if elected. The target would be completing the initial business case within two years of taking office.
“Its findings would steer future engineering studies as well as environmental assessments required for funding negotiations needed before construction can begin,” stated Crombie’s campaign team in a news release on Tuesday. “Public reports issued quarterly would keep track of progress made including spending updates and outstanding decisions.”
This map illustrates what an extended subway line reaching Square One in Mississauga might look like; it accompanied an article INSAUGA Canada back in 2018.
The idea of extending Toronto’s subway line into Square One has been discussed many times over several decades.
Parrish has remarked several times over recent years that she supports bringing Toronto’s subway into downtown Mississauga from Kipling station after winning a byelection for mayor in June 2024.
However, she mentioned during an interview early last year that this can only happen if provincial funding is provided.
The previous mayor Hazel Mc Callion was not interested in adding a subway line through Mississauga.
The concept of extending a subway line into this area has been brought up numerous times since as far back as the 1980s; however Mc Callion declined offers from then-Ontario premier Bill Davis twice “for fully funded provincial subways out to Square One,” Parrish noted during an INSAUGA Canada interview last February regarding Mc Callion’s stance.
A recent poll conducted by INSAUGA Canada showed most respondents doubt whether a subway will ever reach Mississauga despite substantial investments being made towards rapid transit solutions within the city limits.
The poll asked participants: Will there ever be a subway system established in Mississauga?
A total of 2,979 votes were recorded where approximately 57.4 percent or around 1,710 respondents answered “No way.”
An additional group comprising about 42.6 percent or roughly 1,269 individuals responded “Yes; it’s just time away.”
A survey involving about 1,000 residents conducted by Liaison Strategies earlier this October found that around sixty-five percent favor extending service closer towards downtown near Square One; meanwhile twenty percent opposed such measures while fifteen percent remained uncertain about it all.
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