The Ontario Trucking Association (OTA) has penned a letter to Toronto Deputy Mayor Jennifer McKelvie, reminding officials that without the Gardiner Expressway, trucking carriers will have limited access to and from the city, which will impact goods delivery to Toronto communities as well as the health of the city’s economy.
As all Ontarians learned through the COVID crisis, trucking services are critical to keeping shelves fully stocked and ensuring those who live and work within the City of Toronto have access to the essential goods they need at the standard of living they expect. This includes grocery stores and pharmacies, retail outlets, gas stations, office towers, among countless other locations.
“Many conversations around the Gardiner Expressway tend to focus exclusively on commuters and land use/development opportunities,” said Jonathan Blackham, OTA Director of Policy and Public Affairs. “And while these conversations are important, they also often neglect to consider the role the Gardiner Expressway, including the Eastern portion, plays in getting vital supplies and goods into and out of the city.”
In these discussions, OTA is reminding the City that whether accomplished through the hybrid option, or some other option, maintaining some form of continuous, freeway-to-freeway access between the QEW/427, and the Don Valley Parkway is of vital importance.
Without a limited access, continuous link like the Gardiner Expressway, the City’s ability to secure goods in a timely and cost-effective manner will be severely impacted and will likely bring a steep cost to the City’s residents and economy, says OTA.