mcbg1
Active Member
We could have helped several unhoused people or drug addicts with the hundreds of thousands which were spent on renaming Dundas Square. Nobody is actually offended by the Dundas name and erasing it won't help anyone.
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- Thread starter drum118
- Start date
Northern Light
Superstar
I opposed the renaming, but have no desire to rehash old discussions. While theoretically possible that a modest sum might have been saved here and reallocated to some social cause, it isn't particularly likely. The budget niceties of capital vs operating and how different things are funded etc is impactful here.
But even supposing one found '$1,000,000' to reallocate, I wouldn't want to trivialize that, but at the same time, Platform Edge Doors for one station are ~$15,000,000; and building a single affordable housing unit is ~$700,000 so lets not oversell how much a difference that money might have made, it would be small.
Its simply not an argument worth revisiting. It was an idea allowed to move forward under the right-leaning previous Mayor (Tory) and scaled back (Dundas St was not renamed) by the more left-leaning current Mayor (Chow). The right and left collectively backed it. It is what it is.
Its also not the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow to solve even one other issue.
So lets move forward with constructive discussions about next year's budget, not last year's.
Jonny5
Senior Member
Whenever you say "we should spend money on people with a future", remember there are plenty who would look down at you and sneer that you don't have one compared to them, so why spend money on you?
mcbg1
Active Member
doesn't change the fact that our current mayor and city council chose to go ahead and fast track this vanity project without public consultations while the city is going through a housing and drug crisis and they should be held accountable for it. Whether they spent $10 or $1 million on this renaming, it is too much.
Northern Light
Superstar
We will have to disagree.
There are far greater issues, including expenditure choices at play, getting frothed over 1M out of an 18B budget .....which for clarity is less than 0.001% of annual expenditures is wrong headed. It confuses impulsive desire with material gain. Bigger Fish.
ShonTron
Moderator
You’ve brought this up many times now. Let it rest.
drum118
Superstar
TTC service changes coming September 28 to accommodate King Street West and Dufferin Street construction
September 26, 2025
Starting Sun., Sept. 28, the TTC will begin diverting its services to accommodate the renewal of aging streetcar tracks at the King St. W. and Dufferin St. intersection. This work will impact the 29/329 Dufferin, 503 Kingston Rd and 929 Dufferin Express buses, as well as the 504/304 King, and 508 Lake Shore streetcars. The City of Toronto will also undertake sidewalk replacement and tactile plate installation at the intersection.
“Investing in our transit infrastructure is essential to keeping Toronto moving safely and efficiently,” said Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow. “I know this work will impact Toronto residents and commuters, but these upgrades at King and Dufferin will improve accessibility and reliability for thousands of daily riders.”
“The TTC is committed to delivering safe, modern, and accessible service, and these upgrades are necessary to maintain reliable service on the streetcar network,” said TTC Chair Jamaal Myers. “We’re working closely with the City to minimize disruption and keep customers informed.\"
“Track renewal projects like this are vital to maintaining the integrity of our streetcar network,” said TTC CEO Mandeep S. Lali. “We’re focused on ensuring that service remains stable during construction, and we appreciate our customers’ patience as we work together to build a better city.\"
The following routes will be impacted:
• 29/329 Dufferin buses will divert both ways to King St. W. at Joe Shuster Way via Queen St. W. and Shaw St. 929 Dufferin Express buses will be shortened to Queen St. W.
• 503 Kingston Rd buses will operate between King St. W. at Joe Shuster Way and Bingham Loop (Kingston Rd. at Victoria Park Ave.).
• The 504A King/304 King and 508 Lake Shore streetcars will operate on Queen St. W. between Shaw St. and Roncesvalles Ave. 504B King streetcars will continue to be shortened to Bathurst St.
Wheel-Trans service will remain accessible in all areas where local traffic is permitted, and the 402 Parkdale community bus service will continue to operate along its regular routing.
The project is expected to continue until at least mid-November. Full details of the service adjustments are available at https://www.ttc.ca/riding-the-ttc/Updates/Important-changes-to-29-329-929-304-504-503-service.
The TTC is committed to keeping customers informed about work and events that impact service. Customers are encouraged to follow @TTCNotices on X or sign up for eAlerts. TTC Customer Service is available on @TTCHelps on X and by phone at 416-393-3030 daily from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. (closed on statutory holidays) for customers in need of support.
September 26, 2025
Starting Sun., Sept. 28, the TTC will begin diverting its services to accommodate the renewal of aging streetcar tracks at the King St. W. and Dufferin St. intersection. This work will impact the 29/329 Dufferin, 503 Kingston Rd and 929 Dufferin Express buses, as well as the 504/304 King, and 508 Lake Shore streetcars. The City of Toronto will also undertake sidewalk replacement and tactile plate installation at the intersection.
“Investing in our transit infrastructure is essential to keeping Toronto moving safely and efficiently,” said Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow. “I know this work will impact Toronto residents and commuters, but these upgrades at King and Dufferin will improve accessibility and reliability for thousands of daily riders.”
“The TTC is committed to delivering safe, modern, and accessible service, and these upgrades are necessary to maintain reliable service on the streetcar network,” said TTC Chair Jamaal Myers. “We’re working closely with the City to minimize disruption and keep customers informed.\"
“Track renewal projects like this are vital to maintaining the integrity of our streetcar network,” said TTC CEO Mandeep S. Lali. “We’re focused on ensuring that service remains stable during construction, and we appreciate our customers’ patience as we work together to build a better city.\"
The following routes will be impacted:
• 29/329 Dufferin buses will divert both ways to King St. W. at Joe Shuster Way via Queen St. W. and Shaw St. 929 Dufferin Express buses will be shortened to Queen St. W.
• 503 Kingston Rd buses will operate between King St. W. at Joe Shuster Way and Bingham Loop (Kingston Rd. at Victoria Park Ave.).
• The 504A King/304 King and 508 Lake Shore streetcars will operate on Queen St. W. between Shaw St. and Roncesvalles Ave. 504B King streetcars will continue to be shortened to Bathurst St.
Wheel-Trans service will remain accessible in all areas where local traffic is permitted, and the 402 Parkdale community bus service will continue to operate along its regular routing.
The project is expected to continue until at least mid-November. Full details of the service adjustments are available at https://www.ttc.ca/riding-the-ttc/Updates/Important-changes-to-29-329-929-304-504-503-service.
The TTC is committed to keeping customers informed about work and events that impact service. Customers are encouraged to follow @TTCNotices on X or sign up for eAlerts. TTC Customer Service is available on @TTCHelps on X and by phone at 416-393-3030 daily from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. (closed on statutory holidays) for customers in need of support.
Rogue2016
New Member
From a CBC Arts article dated Sept. 26, 2025, perhaps some hope that Arc en Ciel might see the neon light of day again:
Arc en Ciel by Michael Hayden
Artist Michael Hayden has been told that, once upon a time, pilots landing at Toronto Pearson International Airport would tip their aircraft to give passengers a better view of his spectacular neon installation, Arc en Ciel. Installed in the atrium ceiling of the Yorkdale subway station in 1978, the light sculpture was recognized as an exemplary work of art integrated with public transit.Hayden describes Arc en Ciel as a "600-foot-long neon cigar on the landscape." The ribs of glass neon tubing, painted in 79 different colours, ran the length of the platform, creating a brilliant rainbow when illuminated. The lights would flash in the direction of trains entering or leaving the station and pulse as cars waited on the tracks. The artwork was designed with 90-hours of programming, so no one would see the same display twice, Hayden explains.
The Vancouver-born artist went on to create well-known light installations around the globe, including Chicago O'Hare International Airport's emblematic "disco tunnel," Sky's the Limit. But many of these other artworks wouldn't have been possible without Arc en Ciel, he says.
Unfortunately, the Yorkdale Station sculpture was unceremoniously scrapped sometime in the 1990s, after a handful of transformers blew and the Toronto Transit Commission decided it did not have the budget to maintain the work.
"It was very depressing to have another one of my fabulous offerings to the populace put in storage or in the trash," Hayden says.
That wasn't the end of the line for Arc en Ciel, however. In 2016, it was announced that Hayden's seminal light sculpture would return to Yorkdale Station. The artist designed and delivered an updated LED version. But reinstallation lagged through COVID.
Around the same time as this planned revival, the TTC determined that the ceiling of the Arthur-Erickson-designed station needed significant repair. With that work recently complete, the transit commission has re-engaged the artist to discuss the future of Arc en Ciel and its potential reinstallation, a TTC spokesperson told CBC Arts.
"I have had a very fortunate life, and I would love to have my good fortune continue by seeing Arc en Ciel back up, beautifying an elegant train station," says Hayden.
For this lost artwork, there's some light at the end of the tunnel — and it's all the colours of the rainbow.
Towered
Superstar
"2016"
picard102
Senior Member
the article referenced: https://www.cbc.ca/arts/10-lost-works-of-canadian-art-you-ll-wish-you-could-see-1.7644779
drum118
Superstar
Recommendations
That the Carhouse at Leslie Barns be named after former Mayor David Miller to commemorate his contributions to delivering better transit for all Torontonians.Summary
Former Mayor David Miller is a dedicated advocate for the TTC and public transit. He served on the TTC Board from 1997-2003. As a City Councillor, he played an important role in the transition of services post-amalgamation and passed a motion asking the federal government to transfer the federal gax tax to the TTC to help pay for service.Following his election as Mayor of Toronto, he was able to work with both federal and provincial governments to secure $1 billion over five years for the TTC. During his tenure as Mayor, he pushed for the St. Clair Streetcar right-of-way, the creation of rapid transit bus lanes, promoted the TTC Ridership Growth strategy, and procured new subway trains and streetcars. Mayor Miller was also a key proponent of the ambitious Transit City plan, which included revitalizing the Scarborough RT; building a number of LRT lines such as the Eglinton Crosstown, Finch West LRT, Waterfront West, Scarborough Malvern LRT (now called Eglinton East LRT), Sheppard East LRT, Jane LRT, Don Mills LRT; and the construction of six BRT’s.
In 2009, former Mayor Miller helped procure the land for Leslie Barns to build a new maintenance and storage facility to store and service the new streetcars that had been procured. Leslie Barns consists of four buildings, including the Carhouse, the Traction Power Substation, the Yard Control Huts, and the Irrigation Hut. The Carhouse is currently unnamed and this motion would name it the David Miller Carhouse to commemorate Mayor Miller’s contributions to the TTC.
Background Information
(October 6, 2025) Member Motion on Naming of the Leslie Barns Carhousehttps://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2025/ttc/bgrd/backgroundfile-258855.pdf
picard102
Senior Member
Do we not wait till people are dead to name things after them?
Monarch Butterfly
Superstar
The R. C. Harris Water Treatment Plant was named after the longtime commissioner of Toronto's public works Roland Caldwell Harris. It opened in 1941. Harris was Public Works Commissioner from 1912 to 1945. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._C._Harris_Water_Treatment_Plant
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picard102
Senior Member
Semmes pretty bold to name something after yourself while in charge.
ShonTron
Moderator
Mississauga named a dozen things for one person while she was still alive and in many cases still in office.