Audit Kitchener Line funding
Petitioners ask the Government of Canada to audit federal funding and demand firm completion dates for the Kitchener Line expansion, and to report results publicly. The government responds it funds and monitors the work.
Why we would sign this petition
- It would compel a formal review of federal funding and project progress, improving accountability for the federal contribution the petition cites.
- Requiring firm provincial completion dates would give municipalities and commuters clearer timelines for the promised two-way, all-day GO service.
- Public reporting of findings and timelines would let regional leaders and residents monitor progress and press for timely delivery.
Why we wouldn’t sign this petition
- The federal government is primarily a funder and cannot unilaterally set provincial construction schedules, so demands for timelines may have limited practical effect.
- Assessments and public reporting require time and resources and could divert attention or delay work without guaranteeing faster completion.
- Provincial rail planning involves third parties and infrastructure constraints (noted in the response), so audits or demands may not resolve underlying access or delivery issues.
The summary and both sets of reasons are AI-generated from the petition and given equal weight. Claims are the petitioners’ own; consult the official record for the full text.
Official petition
PETITION TO THE GOVERNMENT OF CANADA Whereas: Waterloo Region residents have long expressed frustration with the unavailability and unreliability of GO Transit for intercity travel throughout the region and for commuting to and from Toronto; Lack of reliable public transit has adverse impacts across the region, hindering access to employment, healthcare, post-secondary education, and tourism; Ontario's provincial transit agency, Metrolinx, estimates that GO Transit ridership demand for the Kitchener Line could surge by nearly 400% over 2017 levels by 2031; The promise of two-way, all-day GO train service from Kitchener to Toronto was first made to the community over a decade ago; In 2018, Metrolinx committed to establishing two-way, all-day train service on the Kitchener Line, including service on weekends as part of the system wide GO Rail Expansion project; The Kitchener Line expansion is estimated to cost more than $1.9 billion and was initially slated for completion as early as 2025, but this timeline has now been pushed back to as late as 2031; Despite the project receiving significant federal investment, covering nearly 40% of Metrolinx's total estimated cost, amounting to over $752 million for the Kitchener Line expansion, no definitive completion timeline has been provided by the province. We, the undersigned call upon the Government of Canada to: 1. Hold Ontario's provincial transit agency and ministries accountable to delivering on their commitments by assessing the use of federal funding and current progress made on the Kitchener Line expansion; 2. Demand comprehensive project completion timelines from the province, given the substantial investment provided by the federal government; 3. Report the results of the assessment and the established timelines to municipal and regional leaders, as well as to the public.
Government response
Response by the Minister of Housing and Infrastructure and Minister responsible for Pacific Economic Development Canada Signed by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): Jennifer McKelvie, M.P. The Government of Canada thanks the petitioners for sharing their concerns about the Kitchener Line expansion. With respect to achievements to date on the Kitchener GO Rail line, we understand from Ontario that a number of key milestones both within and beyond the scope of federally funded works have been reached, including completion of the Highway 401/409 Rail Tunnel, completion of construction work at Bramalea GO Station, installation of a new passing track at Breslau, and construction of a new second platform at Guelph Central GO Station. In addition, Ontario is currently in the design phase of the On-Corridor Works project, which is the largest and most critical element of the Program. The On-Corridor Works project includes a broad scope of work such as track, civil infrastructure, signaling, electrification infrastructure and vehicles, as well as operations and maintenance of the entire GO rail network. In April 2022, Ontario announced the selection of ONxpress Transportation Partners as the delivery partner for the On-Corridor Works project and that they had entered into a design phase contract with the goal of refining the costing and schedule of the works to be delivered. As stated when announcing the selection of ONxpress, once the design phase is complete, the Province of Ontario will provide an update on the cost and schedule for the Program and its works. In the interim, Metrolinx, Ontario’s transit agency for the Greater Golden Horseshoe, regularly publishes community engagement updates on its website for the Program. It should be noted that the segment of track between Union Station and Bramalea GO Station is owned by Ontario which facilitates upgrades to the announced service levels and scheduling of GO Trains on this segment. Conversely, the track between Bramalea and Georgetown stations is owned by the Canadian National Railway Company (CN), which prioritizes its commercial trains on this segment and Metrolinx is required to negotiate access for GO Trains. In order to achieve two-way all-day service, GO Expansion will construct three passing tracks between Georgetown and Kitchener, including the tracks installed in Breslau; however, the restrictions imposed by the use of Canadian National Railway Company’s mainline between Bramalea and Georgetown may have impacts. As with all projects funded through Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada’s programs, the Government of Canada is solely a funder of the works under the federal agreement for the Project and is not involved in the planning, decision-making, or implementation of the Project or the broader Program undertaken by the Province of Ontario. As such, Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada does not set the scope of work or the construction schedule for the federally funded Project nor the provincial GO Expansion Program more broadly. In order to ensure success of the Project, departmental officials engage regularly with officials from the Ministry of Transportation Ontario and Metrolinx to monitor the progress of the Project through Oversight Committee meetings and other engagement as necessary. This engagement will continue until the federally funded scope of the GO Expansion Program has been completed, including third-party certification, to Canada’s satisfaction. The GO Expansion Program is a $16.8 billion investment by the Province of Ontario that will transform service across seven existing GO Rail lines from rush hour commuter service to two-way all-day service, providing expanded mobility options to residents and capacity to meet future demands across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area. It is important to note that while the federally funded GO Expansion Project contributes to the success of the Province’s GO Expansion Program, it is only a portion of the overall work necessary to achieve that broader goal. Specifically, the federal funding for the Project supports primarily early and enabling works such as grading, utility relocations, grade separations, installation of new tracks, and upgrading existing stations. The overall GO Expansion Program includes significant additional works that are outside the scope of federal funding, yet are necessary to enable the Program’s goals, such as electrification of the Metrolinx owned corridors, including on the Kitchener Line from Union to Bramalea Station. The Government of Canada is committed to ensuring the successful completion of crucial public transit infrastructure projects. Together with provincial, municipal partners and transit authorities in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, we will work to ensure that infrastructure investments promote economic growth and improve our quality of life, including through the delivery of housing outcomes, for all Canadians.