Sean Marshall

Author: Sean Marshall

  • A transit trip to Paris, Ontario

    Brant Transit van on Mechanic Street, Paris

    Two and a half years ago, I took my first transit trip using an on-demand service, travelling between Port Perry and Cannington in rural Durham Region. It was part of a quest I undertook to visit every city and town hall in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area without a car. In March 2023, I found DRT’s booking service to be an exercise in frustration at first, though I eventually landed on a time that worked.

    In September 2026, I wanted to travel to Paris, Ontario, a picturesque town of 15,000 people on the Grand River, and only a 15-minute drive from Brantford. In 2000, the Town of Paris was amalgamated with the rural county that surrounds the City of Brantford.

    Though ten VIA trains a day pass through Paris, the closest stop is in Brantford

    In the 1980s and early 1990s, Paris was served by a Brantford Transit bus route, which made sense given the short distance between the two communities. This service was discontinued in 1996 due to funding cutbacks to transit province-wide by the Mike Harris-led Progressive Conservatives. With the loss of Greyhound’s once-a-day local bus between London and Toronto in 2018, there was no way to get to Paris without a car or a taxi ride.

    In 2019, the county launched Brant e-Ride, which was later branded as Brant Transit. An on-demand transit service, Brant Transit serves the entire municipality. It also allows pick-ups and drop-offs anywhere within Brantford, as long as either the origin or destination is within the county’s boundaries. Rides are $6 one-way, or $4 for adults over 55 and free for children 12 and under.

    The ability to travel between Brantford and the surrounding county allows Brant County residents easy access to workplaces, schools, shopping, or medical services in Brantford, as well as connections to GO buses to McMaster University and Aldershot Station, VIA Rail trains, and the weekday Ride Norfolk service to Waterford and Simcoe. The service also allows Brantford residents to get to employment areas in Brant County, such as the Ford and Adidas warehouses by Highway 403 and Rest Acres Road (Highway 24 South).

    The current contractor to Brant Transit is Via Transportation, a New York-based mobility software company specializing in on-demand transit and shuttle service platforms. Drivers are hired locally and use Brant Transit-branded minivans and SUVs.

    Brant Transit ridership is growing, with over 25,000 rides provided in 2024, up 11% from 2023. The overwhelming majority of rides taken are between Brantford and Brant County, rather than within the municipality, with 57% of passengers using the service to get to and from work and another 24% using it to access health services.

    Unlike the 2024 DRT experience, I found the booking system easy to use and it accepted my trip requests within the times I was looking for: a pickup in Brantford around 10AM (plenty of time for me to get there from Toronto either by VIA train or GO train/bus) and a pickup in Paris around 4PM. That would give me plenty of time for a leisurely walk around Paris, enjoy a relaxed lunch, and browse the downtown.

    I travelled between the bus terminal in Downtown Brantford and the Paris Wincey Mills building, just off Paris’ main street. The old textile mill, once a Canadian Tire store, was beautifully restored, with a café, market, and brewery on the lower level, and offices on the upper two floors.

    Paris Wincey Mills Co. building

    The only trouble was the initial pick-up. The app, as well as the text alerts, kept telling me to wait at 73 George Street, the location of the old Brantford Carnegie Library now occupied by Wilfrid Laurier University. However, the tracking app — which appears similar to the Uber or Lyft platforms — showed the that correct location was actually the bus terminal. Luckily, I made it in time to meet the driver.

    Information provided to me in the Brant Transit App, with driver’s name (redacted), vehicle info (plate and make), pickup time and location and estimated drop off time

    I shared the ride to Paris with one other passenger, who remained on board after I departed. On the return ride, I could see the driver made several stops before picking me up, with a stop en route at one of the warehouses near Highway 403, where two other passengers were waiting, all headed to Brantford.

    Screenshot of Brant Transit App showing my route back to Brantford Bus Terminal from Paris with an intermediate stop at a warehouse near Highways 24 and 403

    Overall, I was satisfied with my experience. The drivers were friendly, the ride comfortable, and the app easy to use. If Brant Transit on a September Thursday was reflective of on-demand transit in general, the concept would leave a very positive experience for users and municipalities alike.

    That said, there are some caveats. As the Paris area continues to grow, especially with large employers (an Amazon fulfillment centre is nearing completion), there will be increasing demand for transit. Nearby, Brantford Transit increased service to the North West industrial area, with two routes (20 and 21) now serving that employment cluster, just on the border with Brant County.

    Furthermore, Paris itself continues to grow, with new residential subdivisions on Rest Acres Road near Highway 403. In the future, Brant County should seriously consider fixed-route services to serve commercial and residential growth in and around Paris, either as part of Brant Transit, contracted to Brantford as before 1996, or both. In the meantime, the on-demand service can continue to provide mobility for the rest of the county, and even within Paris during off-peak times such as evenings and weekends.

    I would have benefitted from a fixed-route service for a leisurely visit; once the transit times are booked, the passenger is tied to those times. After three hours in Paris, I had more than enough time to see everything I planned; had there been a bus at 3:30, I would have hopped on that instead of waiting for a 4:35 pickup. Though on-demand transit offers geographical flexibility in a sparsely populated or low demand area, fixed-route, scheduled services provide temporal flexibility that on-demand services can not match.

  • Riding the Barrie-Collingwood Railway

    My bike at Mile 15.7 of the Meaford Subdivision, New Lowell

    Just before the new Fall 2026 GO Transit schedules kicked in, I decided to take a ride between Barrie and Collingwood, travelling on Ontario’s newest section of rail trail, an extension of the Barrie-Collingwood trail between Stayner and Angus. My ride on September 3 was pleasant and mostly uneventful, taking my bike to the shores of Lake Huron for the first time. Despite a successful 55 kilometre one-way ride, getting a bus ride back to Barrie, both the trail and the transit connections could be significantly improved.

    The Barrie-Collingwood Rail Trail is named for the Barrie-Collingwood Railway (BCRY), a short line freight operation that took over from CN in the 1990s. The route through Barrie and Collingwood was built by the Ontario, Simcoe, and Huron Railway between 1853 and 1855, the province’s first rail line. Soon renaming itself the Northern Railway of Canada, the company expanded to Meaford, Orillia, and Gravenhurst before becoming part of the Grand Trunk Railway network. CN, which took over the Grand Trunk in 1923, ended passenger service to Collingwood in 1960.

    After CN threatened abandonment of the railway, the town of Collingwood and the City of Barrie established the Barrie-Collingwood Railway (BCRY) in 1998. BCRY ensured continued rail service to several industries in the area. Though BCRY remains active in the Barrie area, including a spur into Innisfil (a remnant of the CN Beeton Sub), service into Collingwood was discontinued in 2011. The active track now ends at Utopia, east of Angus, where BCRY interchanges with the CPKC mainline. The discontinuance of railway service in western Simcoe County allowed for a rail trail to be developed along the line.

    Off the GO train at Allandale Waterfront Station

    I started my ride on a Thursday morning, taking the 9:54 Barrie Line train from Union all the way to the end at Allandale Waterfront Station, arriving at 11:37. Unfortunately, the hourly Simcoe County Linx bus to Wasaga Beach — Route 2 — leaves the adjacent Allandale Bus Terminal thirty minutes past the hour, forcing a 50 minute wait to if I wanted to continue by transit. I elected to begin my bike ride here instead.

    The new Allandale bus terminal, serving Barrie Transit and Simcoe County Linx

    The ride between Allandale and the beginning of the rail trail in Angus is very direct, following Tiffin Street in Barrie to County Road 90. Tiffin Street is mostly a two lane collector road with intermittent painted bike lanes that disappeared approaching signalized intersections to make room for left turn lanes. The bike lane also disappeared before crossing under Highway 400. But since it’s a straight, flat road with a moderate amount of traffic, it was certainly a better experience than my last ride through Barrie earlier this summer.

    Bike lane on Tiffin Street…
    … That ends before every signalized intersection…
    … and under Highway 400

    Simcoe County 90, a former provincial highway connecting Barrie, Angus, and CFB Borden, was widened from a two-lane road to a five-lane highway, including a centre turn lane. The posted speed limit is 80 km/h. However, there are decent paved shoulders along the entire stretch between the end of Tiffin Street and just before entering Angus. While County Road 90 was not the most pleasant riding experience because of traffic noise, it felt safe enough for a casual, yet confident, cyclist such as myself, and should be the minimum expectation in Ontario for rural cycling routes. But it would not be the place for a family ride.

    Paved shoulder on Highway 90 towards Angus

    Though I ended up following County Road 90 all the way into Angus, one may choose to turn south onto Essa 5th Line and connect to the beginning of the rail trail there.

    Entering the Barrie-Collingwood Rail Trail at Angus. Note the old railway crossing signal box at left.

    Once reaching the Barrie-Collingwood Rail Trail, the cyclist is treated to a pristine, shaded corridor all the way to New Lowell. On this section, the crushed gravel surface is well groomed and there are benches at regular intervals. The p-gates at each intersection are just far enough apart to be easily passable at a slow speed, and wayfinding is excellent.

    Between Angus and New Lowell, the trail is smooth, straight, and shady

    Unfortunately, between New Lowell and Stayner, the trail could use some grooming, with looser gravel that made for a slower and slipperier ride (I am not the first cyclist to complain about this). This was also a much less shaded section of trail, and I felt myself slowly losing energy before a change to stop in town for a break and to refresh my water bottle.

    Main Street, Stayner
    Crossing of Main Street (Highway 26) at Stayner

    At Stayner, the trail crosses busy Highway 26 twice: the first time at Main Street, adjacent to the town centre, and again at Airport Road. Both have signalized pedestrian crossings where railway signals once stood. Stayner is also where the trail shifts to being on the old railway right-of-way to being immediately beside it.

    West of Stayner, where an older section of rail trail follows the derelict rails towards Collingwood

    The older section of trail between Stayner and Collingwood was constructed as part of a watermain project connecting Clearview Township (which includes Stayner) with Georgian Bay at Collingwood in the mid 2010s, not long after the last train left Collingwood. It appears that, at the time, there was thought to retaining the railway should it ever be required again; notably old rail bridges at Stayner and Batteaux have not been converted for trail use. However, the intact rails have been completely overgrown with vegetation and most crossings have been removed or paved over. With the track completely gone between Angus and Stayner, there’s almost no chance rail service of any kind will ever return to the 170-year-old corridor.

    The section of trail between Stayner and Poplar Sideroad — Collingwood’s town limit) is smooth and straight except for a short detour on country road at Batteaux. However, there are no benches or rest areas along this 10 kilometre stretch. But once within Collingwood, the trail becomes part of the town’s recreational network, which connects the entire community. At the very end is the reconstructed Collingwood Station, which replaced an older building erected by the Northern Railway of Canada (the successor to the pioneering Ontario, Simcoe and Huron) and is home to a local museum.

    Replica Northern Railway station, Collingwood
    Plaque commemorating the history of the Ontario, Simcoe, and Huron / Northern Railway Co. in Collingwood

    I had just enough time to get a snack and beverage before getting the 6:00 PM Simcoe County Linx bus to Wasaga Beach and then to the 6:30 PM bus back to Barrie, the last trip of the day.

    Simcoe County Linx bus (Aug. 2021 photo). All Simcoe County buses are equipped with bike racks.

    Needed improvements

    This ride from Barrie to Collingwood, through mostly pleasant, highlights the need for improvements to both transit and trail access in Simcoe County, though many of these suggestions should not be particularly challenging to implement.

    The first issue is Simcoe County Linx’s schedules, which are not timed to meet arriving GO trains at Allandale, nor do they facilitate weekend excursions. Though there is a Flixbus route between Toronto, Barrie, Collingwood, and Owen Sound, it only operates five days a week outside of the busy summer period, where it ran twice daily in 2026.

    Simcoe County is to be commended for expanding hourly public transit throughout the county (with two more routes planned). But except for the short Route 4 between Collingwood and Wasaga Beach, there is no evening, weekend, or holiday service. The 6:30 PM departure of Route 2 from Allandale Waterfront is too early for most rush hour trains to arrive; the last possible connection is a tight 4 minutes between the arrival of the 4:38 PM train departure from Union Station which is scheduled to get into Allandale at 6:26. A recommended 7:30 PM departure, would give enough time for two additional evening trains to arrive.

    Furthermore, there are no connections from Allandale Station north on Routes 1 and 3, which serve Midland and Orillia; they depart from Georgian College/Royal Victoria Hospital on the north end of Barrie and require paying an additional Barrie Transit fare. Allandale Waterfront could function as a hub serving all of Simcoe County and points beyond (including Muskoka and Grey County) but there are missing links and a need for schedule and fare integration between GO, Simcoe County, and Barrie Transit.

    Though there is the occasional call for restoring passenger rail to Collingwood to serve the area’s resorts and the year-round population, the rail corridor is pretty much lost. Buses, connecting with GO trains from Toronto, can certainly fill the need of serving visitors to Wasaga Beach, Collingwood, and cottage country, as long as the connections are easy and the buses take passengers where they want to go. This requires GO, Simcoe County, the local municipalities and the resort operators to work together.

    As for the trail, there are a few things Simcoe County and the City of Barrie can do to improve cycling in the region. Though wayfinding along the trails themselves is very good, there’s nothing to guide cyclists between them. Cycling routes can be better posted, with wide paved shoulders prioritized on roads like Veteran’s Drive/5th Sideroad, between Tottenham and Beeton, and to the south end of the North Simcoe trail towards Penetanguishene.

    Long term, a better off-road cycling facility could connect Angus and Barrie (and the North Simcoe Rail Trail) without having to use a busy highway, paralleling the still-active BCRY corridor.

    Finally, the condition of the county’s rail trails should be monitored and maintained for safe and comfortable cycling conditions, with attention paid to the trail surface and providing ample rest areas.

    With some key transit and road improvements, Simcoe County has the potential for being Ontario’s rail trail capital, providing a safe, sustainable, and active tourism option that will benefit locals and visitors alike.

  • Why mobility matters in small town Ontario

    Quinte Transit bus stopped at the Belleville Bus Terminal, August 2026

    Last month, I visited two beautiful towns in Eastern Ontario: Picton, in Prince Edward County, and Almonte, in Lanark County. Both communities have populations of just over 5,000 (though Almonte, within Ottawa’s commutershed, is growing), and both have wonderful downtowns full of independent stores, restaurants, and great public spaces. But you can only get to one of them without a car.

    It was pretty easy to get to Picton from Downtown Toronto on a Thursday morning. Flixbus offers a direct seasonal service from Pearson Airport and Union Station Bus Terminal, stopping at Scarborough Town Centre, Whitby, and Trenton, and in Wellington, Bloomfield, and Picton in Prince Edward County. The County (which is actually a single-tier municipality) has become a popular tourism area, with visitors attracted by local wineries, art galleries, resorts, and the famous Sandbanks Provincial Park on Lake Ontario, so having alternative modes of transport to get to and around the area is welcome.

    Unbranded Flixbus unloading in disused parking lot near Downtown Picton

    As Flixbus does not operate its own buses — it partners with local coach operators — the buses do not have a consistent look. The bus on my August 20 trip, operated by Eastern Charter Inc., was a plain grey coach bus, but it was a comfortable ride. The last stop, in an unused parking lot off Picton Main Street, is across the street from a McDonald’s but is also a short walk to the downtown area. The parking lot, once used by a now-demolished church, is large enough to turn the bus around for the return trip.

    Picton Main Street

    Downtown Picton itself is very walkable, with regular pedestrian crossings and beautifully maintained sidewalks and street furniture. Even though there are larger retailers just outside the town centre, most storefronts are occupied by clothing stores, antique dealers, financial services, and craft shops, there is also a large independent bookseller, complete with attached cafe. Though many businesses are geared towards tourists and more affluent residents, it is not exclusively the case. The public library, a renovated and expanded Carnegie building, serves the entire community well. Discount chain Giant Tiger also thrives in the downtown area. The Regent Theatre, one of Ontario’s oldest continuously-operating theatres, has been hosting concerts, shows, and first-run movies since 1931.

    Regent Theatre, which also contains a tourism information desk, is open between shows
    The Carnegie Library on Picton’s Main Street, with a small playground out front
    The sidewalks full of life and room for street trees, benches, and outdoor store displays.

    Prince Edward County also offers on-demand transit service within the municipality and a weekday fixed-route service between Picton, Bloomfield, and Belleville operated by Trenton-based Quinte Transit. During the summer and early fall, additional fixed-route services operate between Belleville, Wellington, and Picton, sponsored by local wineries and tourist attractions. Bus stops are well marked, with current schedules posted at each point.

    County Transit bus stop at the Fairgrounds (Crystal Palace)

    At Downtown Belleville, there are connections to Belleville Transit, which serves the VIA Rail Station and the Megabus/Flixbus stops near Highway 401 and to Quinte Transit’s Trenton service at Loyalist College. There also used to be a connection at the downtown terminal for Deseronto and Napanee, but sadly it disappeared last year.

    Prince Edward County does a fine job running and marketing a transit service geared to both its residents and to visitors. It should be a model for other communities in Southern Ontario and elsewhere.

    Almonte: Nowhere to go

    Dr. James Nasmith Square, Almonte. The old post office on the right is home to a great Italian restaurant, fittingly named Il Postino.

    Almonte, less than an hour’s drive from Downtown Ottawa, is another charming and busy town, full of independent shops and restaurants in heritage buildings. On a busy summer weekend, parking can be hard to find. The town, part of the municipality of Mississippi Mills, is also growing, with new residential development to the east of the historic downtown. It has just about everything that Picton has, except for a transit link.

    Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020, there was a weekday commuter bus that would shuttle workers from Almonte and Carleton Place to Ottawa and back, making several stops along the OC Transpo bus network. Though Flixbus has restored the lost Greyhound route along Highway 7 between Toronto, Peterborough, and Ottawa with stops in Carleton Place and Perth (and with a schedule that accommodates commuters), these coach buses stop at gas stations along Highway 7 and don’t serve the communities very well, unlike the commuter-centric buses operated by smaller companies like 417 Coach and Thom Transport.

    As the federal government is mandating full in-office shifts again, and as towns like Almonte and Perth become popular day trip destinations, it’s time for places like Lanark County to follow Prince Edward’s lead.

  • A note about my interactive maps

    You may have difficulties viewing my online maps for the next few weeks

    I just got an email from ESRI, the one big GIS software company, informing me, once again, I used up all my ESRI online credits. The annual billing cycle will restart in a few weeks, when I will be able to fully host and edit my interactive maps again. In the meantime, please be patient and stand by.

    Email from ESRI

    Unfortunately, the costs of maintaining this website and the ArcGIS Online portal to my maps continue to rise. However, I am committed to provide an ad-free, paywall-free resource. If you enjoy my work, please consider buying me a coffee to help with those costs or contact me to see how I can help you with your needs.  Thank you!

  • GO’s September changes: higher fines, fewer trains

    You’ll see fewer trains on the Lakeshore West, Stouffville, and Barrie Lines in September

    GO Transit passengers might be in for a shock after Labour Day as new schedules and new penalties come into effect. On several rail corridors, off-peak trains are being cancelled and replaced with buses, while the fines for not paying a GO Transit fare are increasing — by over 450% for a first-time offense.

    During the evening of Friday, August 28 — just five days before the Labour Day long weekend — GO Transit quietly released its new schedules for the Fall 2026 period. Typically, schedule changes include the restoration of extra bus trips on the Highway 407 Corridor (which serves several college and university campuses), as well as bus routes to Guelph, Kitchener-Waterloo, St. Catharines, and Peterborough. The fall schedule change often brings certain service improvements and schedule adjustments to reflect demand and operating changes. But the changes for September 2026 are mostly cuts to rail services.

    There is one new bus route, Route 43 between Mount Pleasant GO Station in Brampton and McMaster University in Hamilton, via Meadowvale and Highway 407, running mainly in the peak direction, Mondays through Fridays.

    New Route 43 between Mount Pleasant and McMaster (PDF Schedule)

    But on the Barrie Line, there will be one less weekday round trip between Allandale Waterfront and Union Station: the southbound 21:10 trip and the northbound 22:01 trip disappear, along with the 20:54 northbound to Aurora. Those runs will be replaced with buses. But the southbound 21:10 train from Allandale took 1 hour and 42 minutes, arriving at Union at 22:52. The replacement bus, including a transfer at Aurora, takes nearly three hours, with no access to washrooms and no direct access to Downsview Park Station.

    On weekends and holidays, the first southbound train from Allandale Waterfront will now be at 14:05, the last train will be two hours later, at 16:05. From Union Station, the first northbound train will be at 16:54, to Aurora only. The old Table 65 schedule has six round trips to Barrie on weekends, with hourly service to and from Aurora.

    There will be similar cuts to the train schedule on the Stouffville Line, where there will be no train service until after 3PM on weekends and holidays. The 23:00 and midnight trains from Union on weekdays are gone, as are the evening inbound trains. There will be replacement buses, but those are often stuck in traffic on the Don Valley Parkway and Highway 404. On the Lakeshore West line, the 15-minute weekend afternoon service between Union and Oakville is gone and the Niagara train service extension on weekdays is down to just one peak-direction train.

    Though there is no notice of changes yet on the GO Transit homepage, it did post a partial explanation on X.

    GO Transit post on X, citing seasonal adjustments, which some rail trips temporarily replaced by buses

    GO Transit says the rail trips replaced by buses are to “support our rail partner with their advancement of crew training and certification, maintain reliable service, and create opportunities to advance important infrastructure work…” What this is actually saying is that Alstom, which has a contract to operate and maintain the trains, has a crew shortage and a backlog of staff training. While GO Transit buses are operated and maintained by GO Transit employees, its trains are not. As Metrolinx is reliant on the contractor to staff the trains, it needs to reduce the number of shifts to ensure the remaining trains are fully staffed.

    There’s no word on when train service can be restored, never mind improved, to meet demand. This can be traced back to the botched partnership with ONxpress that would have seen the Deutsche Bahn subsidiary take over GO rail operations and expansion.

    The late announcement of these service changes is a symptom of the culture of secrecy at Metrolinx. The reason for the service cuts goes even deeper.

    No Fare?

    The concurrent changes to Metrolinx’s fare evasion penalties should also be concerning.

    Because GO Transit’s rail service operates on a strict proof-of-payment system, it can sometimes be possible to forget to tap on or off at stations, which have no fare gates unlike the TTC subway and underground light rail stations. Often, Presto farecard validators are positioned in awkward areas, away from platform access points. Under the old policy, the first-time $35 fine and the second-time $50 fine were similar to penalty fares levied in the United Kingdom, acknowledging that mistakes happen. A failure to tap should not automatically result in a first-time fine four times higher than not paying for street parking in Toronto ($50).

    At the very least, Presto validation (tap) machines should always be easy to spot and easy to access, reducing the number of honest mistakes. It should also follow that the penalty for not paying a transit fare should be treated as the equivalent for not paying for parking especially in an open system without fare gates.

  • Why Kingston needs a new VIA station

    Why Kingston needs a new VIA station

    Located in a marshy area, Kingston Station is unnecessarily isolated from the rest of the city

    Kingston, Ontario, is the largest city between the Greater Toronto Area, Ottawa, and Montreal. With Queen’s University, Royal Military College, and St. Lawrence College, Kingston is a major trip generator for VIA Rail, and has one of the busiest stations on the Quebec-Windsor corridor. It is also one of the most isolated intercity rail stations in Southern Ontario. Kingston’s geography and earlier decisions made by CN are largely to blame, but the future of VIA’s existing rail services is largely dependant on the fate of Kingston Station.

    The VIA Rail station, off John Counter Boulevard, was constructed by CN in 1974 to replace a 1850s-era railway station on Montreal Street. The station has a ticket counter, washrooms, a ticket counter, and a small business class lounge, and two platforms. The south platform is connected to the station by way of a tunnel, with elevators, stairs and escalators providing access. Renovations in the early 2000s added a peaked roof and a tower displaying the VIA Rail logo to the minimalist CN station.

    But the station is in an isolated location, located in a marshy area; the nearest businesses are a furniture store, a funeral home and a used car dealership. Despite this, Kingston Transit does a satisfactory job connecting the station to the downtown and post-secondary institutions, but the bus stop is unsheltered and a short walk away from the station building.

    The two-track arrangement at Kingston Station does not suit CN or VIA particularly well. Both tracks are on the mainline, meaning that they are shared by VIA and freight. Delays to either CN or VIA causes congestion, one of several causes of train delays, contributing to VIA’s poor on-time performance. It also limits VIA’s flexibility in offering early morning or late evening trains that originate or terminate at Kingston or local all-stop service in conjunction with through express services. Newer VIA stations in Belleville and Cobourg have three platforms; the Belleville station tracks allow VIA trains to bypass the CN yard to the north.

    The two-platform Kingston Station

    The reasons for the Kingston station’s relative isolation compared to other mid-sized centres like London or Brantford, partly goes back to the 1850s, when the Grand Trunk Railway, which built the Toronto-Montreal mainline, routed its tracks away from Kingston’s urban centre. As the historic downtown sits at the mouth of the wide Cataraqui River, the Grand Trunk sought a narrower crossing further inland. To compensate, it built a spur into Downtown Kingston to serve local passengers and freight service; eventually a streetcar line ran to the main Montreal Street station and the city grew north to meet the railway.

    In the 1970s, Canadian National, the successor to the Grand Trunk, was in the midst of modernizing its core infrastructure to focus on long-distance freight and container shipping. It rerouted its mainline north of Kingston on a shallower curve while eliminating several at-grade crossings. As CN continued to operate passenger rail on the corridor, it had to build a new station to replace the old Montreal Street location. The new Kingston Station had plenty of parking along with a passenger pick-up/drop-off loop, easily accessible to Princess Street and the new subdivisions in Kingston Township.

    CN had the same principles in mind when it built new stations after the Second World War in Oshawa, Saskatoon, and Ste-Foy, outside of Québec City. Ease of rail operation and access to parking were bigger considerations than having a downtown station accessible by foot or public transit.

    Trees grow around the stone ruins of the 1850s Kingston GTR Station
    A similar view eight years earlier, in 2018

    Today, the original GTR station lies in ruins, fenced off, and partially hidden by trees that have grown around it. The roof is long-gone, as are the additional station buildings such as the express freight and restaurant structures. With the vacant railway lands sitting abandoned for decades, this part of Montreal Street looks rough.

    Montreal Street near the old station. The old railway telegraph lines at left betray the old railway route

    An opportunity for a new station

    Happily, there’s an ideal place for a larger Kingston Station between the old Montreal Street and the newer John Counter Road site that could serve as a proper multimodal hub while being somewhat more convenient to Downtown Kingston and Queen’s University: Division Street. I alluded to this in an earlier post, but after a recent visit, it appears that this is an excellent opportunity.

    Looking west from Division Street over the CN mainline. The wooded area immediately to the north (right side) offers plenty of room for a new intermodal station.

    The CN mainline passes under a long overpass at Division Street that was built in the 1970s not only to cross the CN line but also a Canadian Pacific-owned branch line that once ran between Kingston’s waterfront and Renfrew, near the Ottawa River. The additional room allocated for the now-abandoned CP branch could easily fit two VIA-exclusive tracks, separate from through CN freight trains. This would allow VIA trains to sit overnight, and provide early-morning service to Toronto, Montreal, and Ottawa leaving on schedule. If the Alto HSR takes over the bulk of the through passenger traffic, Kingston will have an excellent regional hub that will serve Eastern Ontario rail passengers far better than the status quo, with more reliable schedules and the opportunity for late night arrivals.

    Looking north from the Division Street railway overpass towards Highway 401.

    Another advantage of the Division Street site is the proximity to Highway 401. This would allow intercity and regional buses to easily exit and enter the intermodal station. As Division Street continues south towards Downtown Kingston and Queen’s University and is already a major Kingston Transit corridor (with direct and regular service on Routes 1, 2, and 701/702 express, as well as other nearby routes), it’s a logical focal point that can consolidate the various intercity bus stops.

    Back in June, Alto announced that federal transport minister Steven MacKinnon directed the consortium to “…develop a plan to assess a southern route option between Peterborough and Ottawa that includes a potential stop in Kingston that would interconnect with VIA Rail services, subject to technical feasibility and project requirements.”

    Map from Alto’s “What We Heard” report, June 2026

    Previous conceptual maps showed the proposed southern alignment located far from Kingston’s urban area, with the closest potential station locations in sparsely-populated South Frontenac Township near the communities of Verona, Sydenham, or Perth Road, at least 20-30 minutes north of Kingston’s urban area by car. If Alto were to serve Kingston properly, it would have to swing much further south, adding to construction costs and through travel times. A spur line into Kingston might make more sense, then, just as the Grand Trunk did 170 years ago.

    The time savings to Montreal, Toronto, and Ottawa with a high speed line from Kingston might be better provided with a new conventional railway station and more flexible, reliable service to meet the needs of communities like Kingston, Belleville, and Brockville, rather than forcing Alto farther south. Division Street offers that opportunity.

  • Streets are for people: a visit to St. John’s Water Street

    Streets are for people: a visit to St. John’s Water Street

    Pedestrians and cyclists enjoying a sunny Sunday morning in St. John’s

    In late June of this year, my spouse and I had the chance to visit St. John’s, along with a few other destinations in Eastern Newfoundland and Saint Pierre, France. I highly recommend the visit, though even late June can be a bit cool and wet there.

    During our last two days, several blocks — about 700 metres — of Water Street, the main commercial street in St. John’s, was closed to all motor vehicles, and remains so until September 7, Labour Day. This is an annual event, supported by downtown businesses, and is one of the positive legacies of the social distancing era of 2020-2021.

    Though fenced-off restaurant patios spill on to Water Street, there are plenty of public spaces to sit, too

    This is much less a street festival (though there are plenty of organized events) and more of an open street initiative. Though restaurants’ patios spill out into the street, there are plenty of public picnic tables set up for anyone to use, both in sunny and shaded areas. There are several portable toilets, complete with adjacent hand-washing sinks, which provide relief without having to pay to use a washroom.

    Portable washrooms, hand-washing station, and portable bike parking on Water Street

    Pedestrians and pedal cyclists are welcomed, though cyclists are instructed to go at a slow speed, and e-bikes passing through must have their power assist off.

    Sign explaining e-bike policy for the Downtown Pedestrian Mall

    Of course, there are security guards and gates set up to keep motorists out, apart from emergency vehicles and local deliveries. But I did not notice any police cars stationed at any of the intersecting streets, and the few RNC officers I saw were on general foot patrol. Though several Metrobus routes normally serve Water Street, these are diverted one block away to Harbour Drive.

    Security minding traffic gates at Water and Adelaide Streets, the southern end of the pedestrian mall

    Though St. John’s is a much smaller city than Toronto (its metro area is less than 4% the size of Toronto’s CMA), it is also much more car-dependent, with only a basic bus transit system, and very little cycling infrastructure. Yet, they are able to pull this off for ten weeks a year, on an annual basis. The last Open Streets event in Toronto was in 2022, and those were only held two Sundays of the year. Yes, there are wildly successful street festivals, such as Taste of the Danforth, which just had its record-breaking comeback, but they aren’t the same as they are rammed with crowds, and those only take place over two or three days.

    This year, at least, Toronto gets to enjoy just a little taste of what should be expected in this city. Until August 21, two short blocks of Church Street are open to pedestrians, from Alexander Street to Wellesley Street, with some of the same features I saw in St. John’s.

    Moveable car traps and metal barricades block Church Street, looking north at Maitland

    One key noticeable difference are the harder barriers to prevent motor vehicles from entering. Yellow wheel traps are lined up next to metal barricades, decorated with colourful banners. Though understandable given recent history in Toronto and Vancouver with vehicular attacks on sidewalks and a street festival, they sadly act to fence in what should be an open street and pedestrians must enter on the sidewalks. Unlike St. John’s, cycling is prohibited as well.

    Shaded by branded patio umbrellas, the picnic tables and Muskoka chairs on the left are open to anyone

    Still, it’s a great taste of what Toronto should have more of. As on Water Street, there are both private patio spaces on the street as well as public chairs and benches, as well as extra waste bins, though no public toilets. It’s also very well used, especially later in the day. The Church-Wellesley Village is the cultural and commercial centre for Toronto’s 2SLGBTQ+ communities, as well as being in the centre of a very densely-populated area with limited open space.

    It is also oddly quiet, despite the vibrancy. That’s because there are no cars, which are a major source of urban noise pollution. The car-free environment also makes sitting on a curbside patio much more enjoyable, without the noise and smells of passing motorists. How can anyone object?

    Later in the afternoon, Church Street was busier with pedestrians

    It might be too much to ask for Montreal-style open street corridors, but Toronto should at least aspire to more, long-term open street set-ups like Water Street and Church Street. Kensington Market would be the perfect place to start. Even on our busy east-west streetcar routes on corridors such as Gerrard Street East or Queen Street West, with a bit of imagination and can-do spirit, we can accommodate those as well.

    With adding long-term implementations, we will need to rethink the costs of policing and security, which are currently a major barrier to providing these spaces in Toronto. In Montreal, security staffing is minimal on open streets such as Ave. Mont-Royal. The needs of policing and securing a regular pedestrianized area are quite different than ensuring safety at a crowded street festival.

    Ave. Mont-Royal, where security measures are minimal on the summer open street

    Such crowd-pleasing, neighbourhood-building actions as Open Streets should be on any serious mayor or council candidate’s policy platform in the upcoming municipal election.

  • Cycling the rest of the Beeton Sub

    Cycling the rest of the Beeton Sub

    A Simcoe County Linx bus with my bicycle on the rack at Bradford GO Station

    Within Southern Ontario, there are some excellent places to go for a bike ride, without needing a car to hit the trails or quiet country roads. GO Transit’s bus and rail network extends all the way to places like Hamilton, Niagara Falls, Peterborough, Brantford, and Kitchener, where great cycling routes can be found. One can make a one-way trip and get a bus or train back, and there are routes of many possible lengths, levels of difficulty, and comfort levels.

    A while back, I wrote about a ride between Georgetown and Newmarket following the Caledon Trailway from Terra Cotta to Tottenham, then following country roads east to the Nokiidaa Trail between Holland Landing and Newmarket. A decade later, I decided to try to finish riding the former CN Beeton Subdivision to Barrie’s waterfront.

    Between Tottenham and Beeton, the Allandale Sub still sees train service

    As the section of the former CN branch line between Tottenham — where I was on a previous ride — and Beeton remains in use by the South Simcoe Railway steam train operation, I started the ride in Beeton, at the north end of the remaining track. Beeton is also a stop on Simcoe County Linx’s Route 5 between Bradford GO Station and Alliston, which runs every hour during weekday daytime hours, making it an easy place to get to without a car.

    Downtown Beeton, with a Simcoe County Linx bus stop in the foreground

    At Beeton, the SSR track comes to an end and the rail trail picks back up for a short bit. Unfortunately, there is no easy, safe cycling connection between Tottenham and Beeton; County Road 10 is a busy road without paved shoulders, and 4th Line, which leads east from Tottenham towards a quieter alternative route, is narrow, poorly maintained, and hilly, unsuitable for a casual cyclist or walker. Hence, the decision to skip the Tottenham-Beeton section.

    The SSR crossing in Beeton

    From Beeton’s Main Street, either Dayfoot or Centre Street provide quiet, low-traffic routes north to Line 9 (Lily Street) to a section of trail as far as Line 10. From there, pedestrians and cyclists must detour to 10th Side Road for 1.5 kilometres at Allimil due to a missing bridge over a small stream and a potato processing plant partly on the old right of way. Allimil was also once known as Beeton Junction as this was where a branch line split off the busier Hamilton-Allandale route to serve Alliston, Creemore, and Collingwood. That other branch line’s right-of-way, unfortunately, was not preserved.

    10th Sideroad is relatively busy, and there are no paved shoulders, but the traffic I encountered was generally respectful. That said, I was grateful to get back on the trail.

    10th Sideroad, New Tecumseth, where pedestrians and cyclists using the rail trail must divert north of Beeton
    Re-entering the Trans-Canada Trail at 10th Sideroad. The quality of the ride between here and Innisfil was quite good. Note the Trans Canada Trail marker on the p-gate.

    From this point as far as 5th Sideroad in Innisfil (and just south of Barrie), the trail is in great shape, with a consistent smooth gravel surface. The section between Allimil and Cookstown only opened less than a decade ago; where one property owner on Line 13 took over the old railbed, the trail properly detours around the farm without any hassle. A replacement bridge over Cookstown Creek is accompanied by photographs of the old wooden bridge.

    A new rail trail bridge installed in 2021. Nearby, an interpretive plaque displays images of the former structure this replaced.

    Southern Simcoe County is famous for vegetable production, including the Holland Marsh and the potato fields of New Tecumseh, Adjala-Tosorontio, and West Gwillimbury. The trail runs right through these lands, revealing how Ontarians get much of their food. Along the route, I spotted several dozen farm workers sporting nón lá to protect themselves from the sun while tending to leafy vegetables.

    Farm workers tending to vegetables near the rail trail
    Why did the turkey cross the trail?

    At Cookstown and at Thornton, signalized active transportation crossings allow pedestrians and cyclists to easily get across busy roadways. Benches and shade are plentiful, and there were a few pleasant surprises as well. If the trip from Beeton to Barrie had only the short diversion at Allimil, this would be an easy 40-45 kilometre ride. But then I encountered a very stressful ride into Barrie itself.

    Northeast of Thornton towards Barrie, where old railway telegraph poles betray the trail’s former use

    At 10th Sideroad, near the Georgian Downs Racetrack and Casino, the trail came to a sudden end, with no direction on how to continue onwards. The trailhead features a large parking lot, which makes it clear what type of recreational trail user is expected here.

    5th Side Road in Innisfil, at the end of the Cookstown-Thornton trail, part of the Trans Canada Trail

    5th Side Road is a terribly busy traffic corridor as it parallels nearby Highway 400 and turns into Veterans Drive as it crosses into the City of Barrie. It’s a two lane road, with rough gravel shoulders, which means either dealing with heavy traffic while taking the lane (not recommended), riding in the grit, or walking the bike. At one point, I had to opt for the latter, coming up a hill on the Veterans Drive section in Barrie. The video below shows the conditions on this portion.

    Video showing conditions on 5th Side Road in Innisfil and Veterans Drive in Barrie, part of the signed Trans Canada Trail

    Ironically, 5th Side Road and Veterans Drive are part of the designated Trans Canada Trail, along with the Caledon Trailway (along with the Tottenham extension) and the Beeton-Innisfil route. I spotted several TCT signs along 5th Side Road and Veterans Drive despite the dangerous conditions present.

    Faded TCT sign on 5th Side Road looking north towards Barrie, from Google Streetview

    Finally, at Salem Road, Veterans Drive widens from two narrow lanes to an urban four-lane road, complete with painted bike lanes. At this point, I could comfortably ride, following Veterans Road and crossing Highway 400 on the Harvie Road overpass, a much safer ride than the official TCT route via Mapleview Drive. From there, it was an easy downhill ride into Allandale and to Barrie’s waterfront. I had dinner in Downtown Barrie, then took the evening GO train back to Toronto.

    The mandatory city name sign on the downtown waterfront means I made it to Barrie

    As I found out the hard way, once again, the Trans Canada Trail remains more of an aspiration than a reality. As much of the trail remains incomplete, the online map shows many yellow sections, which indicate on-road sections, usually without any cycling infrastructure. Furthermore, there are many sections that can not be walked or biked at all, but requires a kayak, canoe, or other watercraft, even in Southern Ontario, where active transportation infrastructure is dependant on municipal and provincial initiatives to build those quality, multiuse trails.

    Excerpt from the Trans Canada Trail online map showing Simcoe County. Yellow indicates on-road portions of trail; green represents off-road portions (i.e., rail trails and park paths) and the blue section on Lake Couchiching north of Orillia tells you to pack a kayak to use that section.

    ,

  • Up in the air

    Biidaasaige Park at Ookwemin Minising, Saturday, July 25 2026

    During the late evening of Friday, July 24, the federal government announced that it would not proceed with a proposal to expand the Toronto Island Airport (officially Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport) to accommodate additional traffic and commercial jet aircraft. This secretive plan, developed by the Toronto Port Authority and Neuport Aviation, was championed by Doug Ford’s provincial government, which did all it could to push it though. The province moved to expropriate the City of Toronto’s lands on and surrounding the airport and forced it to give up its say in a tripartite agreement that governs the airport operations. It also invoked new powers under Bill 5 to declare it a “special economic zone” to get around environmental regulations and required consultations.

    The federal government, headed by Mark Carney, did not object, with the minister of transportation, Steven MacKinnon, expressing that government’s interest in the plan. The province claimed the airport expansion could contribute up to $8.5 billion annually to the economy by 2050, with passenger traffic quintupling from two million to ten million travellers. The east-west runway would have to be extended westward by 900 metres, adjacent to Ontario Place. The expanded marine exclusion zone would disrupt recreational activity in the Toronto Harbour and Lake Ontario and especially impact Hanlan’s Point.

    Map by Waterfront For All showing concept of runway expansion required for jet traffic, with runway extending west by 900 metres, along with larger safety zones, marine exclusion zones, and approach lights. (Source of map)

    As part of what seemed to be a window-dressing exercise, Transport Canada opened up an online public survey in June to gather feedback, though the survey questions were written with a pro-expansion slant, touting “economic benefits for Canada” in the preamble. This was despite the lack of previous public input or even a detailed business case open to scrutiny and reasoned debate. It seemed as if the fix was in.

    But to much surprise and relief, citing the overwhelmingly negative survey responses (of 87,000 responses, 87 percent opposed airport expansion; 80 percent of the total responses were from within the City of Toronto), the federal government kiboshed the expansion plan, allowing only already approved minor extensions for safety improvements. Perhaps the Liberals were worried about upcoming byelections (including one in Beaches-East York) or maybe enough Toronto MPs felt the pressure from their constituents spoke up. But it was the right thing to do, given the expected effects on noise, air, and water pollution, traffic and land constraints at the main airport entrance off Queen’s Quay, and the impact on Waterfront Toronto’s inspiring Ookwemin Minising project on the eastern harbourfront.

    Statement from federal transport minister Steven MacKinnon

    Visiting the new western section of Biidassiage Park on Saturday – the morning after the federal announcement, was especially sweet. Waterfront Toronto has shown time and time again that it has the expertise and capacity for building quality public spaces on this city’s waterfront, along with guiding new residential and commercial development to go along with it. Egrets, killdeer, ducks, cormorants, and herons have already made this space home. Public art, play structures, and homages to the industrial past anchored by a huge shipping crane come together in a place that has some of the best views of the downtown skyline. To the northeast, a new highrise community is being planned that will be fully integrated with the completed public spaces; the envisioned community would find itself compromised by the approaches required for larger jet aircraft.

    The Q400s taking off overhead were loud enough; even smaller commercial jets will require lower approaches over Toronto Harbour

    After spending some time in this amazing space, part of a larger re-naturalization and flood control project at the bottom of the Don River, one could imagine larger jet aircraft landing every few minutes and how much it would effect these lands; the Q400s were loud enough, especially when reverse thrusting upon landing; noise carries a long way upon the flat water in the sheltered harbour. As most downtown residents don’t have access to Muskoka lakefront cottages, these sorts of spaces are critical for a thriving city and healthy living.

    Sadly, the backlash from the federal government’s decision not to support the provincial plan came harsh from the province and from politically powerful business groups and at least one Canadian tech billionaire. Ontario Transport Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria claimed the federal government conceded to “fringe groups” in rejecting the Ford government’s jet ambitions. The province, claiming there was a quid pro quo in which it would support the Alto high speed rail project if the province backed the island airport expansion, is now letting its rural Eastern Ontario caucus members openly oppose the rail plan.

    The Toronto Region Board of Trade also came out against the federal government’s decision, with chair Giles Gherson calling the airport a “hugely valuable as a business asset” and worried that without the runway expansion, the airport is on “borrowed time.” No facts or figures were cited in his lament to local news media; they were also absent in an op-ed published in March 2026. It is doubtful, that a regional airport with limited destinations makes-or-breaks business decisions whether to locate to Toronto, especially when there is now a frequent airport rail link to Pearson that will eventually be electrified and expanded. Any capacity lost with a potential closure of the island airport can be easily absorbed at Pearson or other facilities, such as Hamilton International or Waterloo Regional airports.

    On Elon Musk’s toxic social media site, Shopify co-founder and CEO Tobias Lütke had a bit of a breakdown. He called the overwhelming opposition “retired, unemployed, unemployable and useful idiots [sic].” As a billionaire, Lütke doesn’t have to fly commercial, but can travel by private jet. Perhaps he, and other members of the business elite were upset that their personal jets would continue to have to use Pearson. The same weekend, Lütke backed the idea that voting rights should be tied to income.

    Tobias Lütke on X on July 25

    One could argue that the airport backers are so upset because they saw this push as the best chance to finally expand the island airport for jet traffic, after two previous fights in 2003 and 2014. There was a pro-business premier with a vindictive streak against the City of Toronto, a banker prime minister whose economic polices have promoted oil and gas and AI development and looking for “nation-building” industrial projects to support, and a well-intentioned but very conciliatory mayor.

    That window is now closed. I doubt this ends the decades-long debate on the airport’s future, but it does provide some relief, even some mild satisfaction that the very small percentage of people who are used to getting everything they want from government can still sometimes lose.

  • Where’s the outrage when pedestrians are killed?

    Birchmount Road and Lawrence Avenue East, Scarborough

    On Friday, July 10, the driver of a westbound Toyota RAV4 SUV drove through a red light on Lawrence Avenue East and struck another vehicle travelling south on Birchmount Avenue. The SUV continued forward, mounting the sidewalk where two pedestrians were standing, and then hit a traffic signal pole. The pole, as designed, fell to the ground. The two pedestrians — a 64-year-old man and a 61-year-old woman — were killed. The drivers of both vehicles — as well as two passengers in the RAV4 — were taken to hospital with “non-life-threatening injuries.” Nearly two weeks later, there have been no updates from the Toronto Police or any news outlet letting the public know of any charges laid; there is not even any mention of who the two dead victims were.

    As it’s just another “accident,” society shrugs and continues on.

    Roadside memorial to two dead pedestrians, with a pylon covering the base of the fallen traffic pole

    A day later, just after 8PM on Saturday, July 11, two people were shot dead on St. Clair Avenue West during the Salsa on St. Clair street festival, and four more were injured. This was not a random shooting, but a violent gunfight where the assailants and those killed knew each other. There were many thousands attending the popular street festival that evening; many of those attending fled fearing for their safety.

    Elected leaders from all three levels of government were quick to denounce the violence, and Toronto Police, to its credit, refused to hyperbolize the general risk to the public. Chief Myron Demkiw reminded Torontonians that “shootings are down over 26 per cent compared to the same time last year,” followed by the recognition that such violence “…understandably shakes the sense of safety and security that Torontonians expect and deserve.”

    However, there are those whose agendas are not served by nuanced remarks like Chief Demkiw’s. Second-time mayoral candidate Brad Bradford was quick to blast senior police officials, saying it was “wrong to call Toronto a safe city.” Bradford followed with his preferred response from police which “…is to say ‘No. No more. Not now, not ever.’” For someone running on a right-wing reactionary platform, such a response would have been much more helpful against an incumbent mayor.

    It’s understandable that the St. Clair shooting has gotten lots of attention from the police, news media, and politicians. Despite a continuing decline in violent crime and Toronto’s well-deserved reputation as a safe city, brazen gun violence is frightening, especially in a crowded area where there are thousands enjoying a summer evening. People want to be safe and feel safe while outside their homes. But that also means being able to walk without fear of being struck and killed by a motorist, even when on a sidewalk.

    For intermittent street festivals, parades, and temporary pedestrian malls, a lot of attention is already placed on security, especially after recent vehicle attacks. Portable car traps keep vehicles out, while paid duty police and security guards keep watch at intersections and places in between. But we also do very little to protect pedestrians and other road users from dangerous driving. Doug Ford’s provincial government, working against Toronto and other municipalities, moved against bike lane installation (protected bike lanes that serve as a buffer between motor traffic and sidewalks) and speed enforcement cameras, which were working to reduce drivers’ speeds.

    Drivers speeding through a red light on seven-lane Lawrence Avenue East at Birchmount Road. Note the temporary replacement traffic signal affixed to the median pole on the far side of the street.

    As a society, we are horrified by gun violence, but generally give scant attention to deaths on our roads that result from motorists’ choices. No councillor, mayor, premier, or prime minister spoke out when two bystanders were killed in Scarborough. Their names have still not been released. There’s no follow up to the police investigation, and it has so far merited just one story in the Toronto Star, CBC Toronto, and CP24.

    That is a tragedy in itself.