LIFE IN THE FAST LANE
DiStefano cites strong infrastructure as one of the drivers for KPMG’s planting of its feet in the Region. “The new [Spadina] subway line extension coming next year was also a big factor, to easily move people to and from the office, which will help with the already smooth commute even more,” says the Richmond Hill resident. “Plus, there’s accessibility to highways like 407, and rapid transit along Highway 7 that also improves accessibility through the area.”
“It takes passion and commitment to take an idea on paper to a $3.6 billion dollar investment,” says Mary- Frances Turner, President of York Region Rapid Transit Corp.
The Region’s Viva-branded rapid transit system includes 36 kilometres of dedicated “rapid ways”: lanes with state-of-theart and specialized vehicles, advanced signaling systems, and stations optimized to smoothly handle heavy foot traffic. Along with Highway 7, York Region Rapid Transit Corp. has recently completed an ambitious project on Newmarket’s Davis Drive, and is currently building up Jane Street in Vaughan, and parts of Major Mackenzie, Leslie and Green Lane, says Turner.
“York Region has been on this determined journey to see nothing short of a transformation of the Region,” says Turner. “We’re talking linked urban communities, pinned together with rapid and reliable transit, to address the density of the Region.”
Turner says she’s hopeful the Spadina subway extension into Vaughan will be just the beginning. One day – and perhaps not too far in the future – she hopes there will be a Yonge Street subway extending into York Region from Finch Station up to the Richmond Hill Centre Terminal. Preliminary engineering work has already begun, says Turner, along with the push for long-term funding commitments from senior government partners in Ottawa and at Queen’s Park.
York Region has a robust and diverse economy that continues to evolve and expand. To sustain this momentum and create conditions for further economic growth, the region will continue to make the necessary investments in modern infrastructure, including the streamlining of public transit. The ultimate goal is to ensure the entrepreneurs, innovators, and job creators who chose to locate in York Region, like KPMG and others, will continue to be successful now and well into the future.