Province hearing pleas for better rail service, mayors say

Politicians were invited to discuss their vision for the region over the next four years

KITCHENER — Better rail connections to Toronto are a key issue for the new regional chair and newly elected mayors, who hinted that announcements of improved service may not be far off.

“You can’t come up on a stage in Waterloo Region and not talk about trains,” said Cambridge’s new mayor, Kathryn McGarry.

The politicians were invited to talk about their vision for the next four years at a panel discussion in Kitchener put on by the Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce and the Cambridge Chamber of Commerce.

Regional Chair Karen Redman got applause from the crowded ballroom at the Holiday Inn when she cited better rail links as one a priority issue. “We need improved transportation between Waterloo Region and the GTA, especially two-way all-day GO service. It’s essential, to bring talent in and allow people from Waterloo Region (to go to Toronto),” she said. “We need more frequent and faster train service. It’s one of the core issues.”

Getting those transportation improvements means convincing provincial and federal officials that helping Waterloo Region thrive will help the province and the country thrive, said Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic.

“Regions like ours really help grow the economy and generate new revenue streams, which allow the provincial and federal governments to achieve a number of their objectives,” he said. “What’s key for us is to figure out what are the particular things that are going to resonate with that government that’s in power and make sure that our asks of them are reflective of that.”

All four municipal leaders said they’re confident that those lobbying efforts will pay off.

Despite projecting a strong pro-car image, the Doug Ford government has been receptive to arguments for improved rail, Vrbanovic said.

“We’ve been working very closely with Metrolinx and the new (provincial) government to continue building the case around our needs here and I am confident that this government is hearing us and at the appropriate time we’ll see some results,” he said.

Improved rail service will strengthen the Toronto-Waterloo Region innovation corridor, and make it more competitive with other innovation centres around the globe, such as the San Francisco-San Jose area, the London-to-Cambridge area in Great Britain and the Tel Aviv-to-Haifa in Israel, Vrbanovic said.

“Advocacy on two-way, all-day GO and better linkages throughout the corridor, from here to Pearson (airport) to downtown Toronto is absolutely key if we’re going to really make the corridor reach its full potential.”