Dundas LRT line good for business says top leader

The province’s fledgling proposal to build light rail on Dundas Street got a boost today as the leader of Mississauga’s largest business group told Global360 that she believes the line would give local businesses a big boost.

“I think it would have a tremendously positive effect,” said Mississauga Board of Trade President and CEO Sheryl McKean in an interview with Global360.

“It certainly helps a business in terms of increasing the traffic and awareness because even people who for example are riding by will become more aware of the businesses that exist there and then perhaps will go back to use those businesses at other times, evenings or weekends,” she said adding that it would also increase the local labor pool by making it easier for employees to commute to Mississauga.

The province has proposed building light rail along Dundas Street from Kipling Station in Etobicoke to Hurontario/Dundas in Mississauga. It would intersect with another light rail line running north-south on Hurontario Street. That line would bring in people from as far north as downtown Brampton and as far south as Port Credit.

Both lines are going through a review process by the City of Mississauga and the Greater Toronto Transportation Authority (recently renamed as Metrolinx).

McKean said that the combination of the two lines at Hurontario Street “presents an enormous amount of possibilities to service all of Mississauga in fact, because that’s a very very active area and the connections would be great.”

The Mississauga Board of Trade is the largest business association in the city, it represents over 1,500 businesses.

McKean said that her organization is looking forward to participating in the consultation process. Her organization has a member on a council that is advising Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion on transit issues.

McCallion and McKean will be taking part in a luncheon panel on March 18 on the importance of infrastructure for businesses. They will be joined by Canadian Chamber of Commerce President and former federal Progressive Conservative cabinet minister Perrin Beatty and Ontario Chamber of Commerce President Len Crispino.