Thorncliffe Park protestors step up fight against Metrolinx railyard project
CBC
Dozens of Thorncliffe Park residents gathered in the rain on Saturday to protest the building of a mammoth rail yard in the community.
Metrolinx announced in an April blog post that Thorncliffe Park was selected for a 175,000-square-metre maintenance and storage facility.
The yard would service the Ontario Line, a 15-stop subway route, which is projected to run from Ontario Place to the Ontario Science Centre.
Currently, the area is home to a mix of small businesses and an industrial park, located on the north side of Overlea Boulevard, between Millwood Road and Thorncliffe Park Drive.
Residents have overwhelmingly opposed the move, saying the densely populated area needs more affordable housing and recreational spaces, not a train yard.
Thorncliffe Park is home to some 30,000 people, many of whom are new Canadians from Pakistan, India and Afghanistan.
Space is scarce — there are about 7,000 people per square kilometre.