Finch Avenue is an arterial thoroughfare that travels east–west in Toronto , Ontario , Canada. The road continues west into the Regional Municipality of Peel as Regional Road 2 and east into the Regional Municipality of Durham as Regional Road 37 .
79-507: The road is considered a high-density transit corridor by Metrolinx . At its intersection with Yonge Street in North York , the Finch subway station and Finch Bus Terminal carry some of the highest numbers of commuters in the city. Finch Avenue was named after hotel owner John Finch, who operated John Finch's Hotel at the northeast corner of Finch Avenue and Yonge Street . The road allowance
158-571: A $ 4.9 million plan was announced to double the size of Bike Share Toronto by 2016. The bicycles and docking stations will be owned by Metrolinx, while the system will continue to be operated by the Toronto Parking Authority . In 2021, Metrolinx dropped its hydrail program. Metrolinx has been criticized for not having enough executive power in planning transit outside of municipal politics, despite being established to take political delay out of transportation planning. After Rob Ford
237-533: A collector road that runs through residential communities, northeast to Steeles Ave. E. East of Morningside, the road is signed as Old Finch Avenue, requiring connections with several north-south streets (Sewells Road, Meadowvale Road and Plug Hat Road) before continuing briefly at the south end of Beare Road. Heading east, it enters into the City of Pickering in Durham Region after Scarborough-Pickering Townline, where it
316-497: A deep pit that prevented any pedestrian or vehicular traffic from passing through. The crater left where a 4 lane roadway once was is approximately 7 m (23 ft) deep. Two lanes reopened in late 2005, and the remaining lanes opened in April 2006. On July 24, 2009, two sinkholes appeared on Finch Avenue West between Dufferin Street and Bathurst Street . Despite its length (one of
395-525: A hub for GO Transit , York Region Transit and Viva buses, is next to the station. Finch Avenue is served by buses from the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) 24 hours a day through regular routes (36 Finch West and 39 Finch East) and Blue Night Network routes (336 Finch West and 339 Finch East). One express route, 939 Finch Express, provides faster transit along Finch Avenue and connects to Scarborough Centre station on Line 3 Scarborough in
474-551: A new logo in printed and electronic communications. The Metrolinx Act, 2006 , formerly known as the Greater Toronto Transportation Authority Act, 2006 , describes two of Metrolinx's primary responsibilities as being: The Big Move : Transforming Transportation in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area was one of Metrolinx's first deliverables. It is a Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) including
553-572: A number of smaller communities exist throughout northern Pickering, such as Greenwood . John Diefenbaker , a Prime Minister of Canada, lived in Greenwood for a number of years. The abandoned ghost town of Altona is located there. Cherrywood, another hamlet in Pickering, is one of the few areas that are protected within the Greenbelt . The communities of Kinsale in the northeast and Green River on
632-610: A rolling five-year capital plan and Investment Strategy for the GTHA. The plan builds on 52 GO train, subway, light rail and bus rapid transit projects proposed by the Government of Ontario in its MoveOntario 2020 plan announced on June 15, 2007, and includes new projects to support them. A draft version of the Big Move was provided to Metrolinx on September 26, 2008, and a final version was approved on November 27, 2008. Planning and construction
711-770: A separate municipality. Several sawmills , gristmills , taverns, and other businesses operated in the area. During the War of 1812 , the maintenance of the Kingston Road improved because of the increased military traffic and further contributed to the development of the area. In the 19th century, several other small communities developed in the Duffins Creek watershed , within the Pickering Township. These included Whitevale , Brougham , Green River , Claremont , Altona , Greenwood , and Balsam. A few communities also developed in
790-416: A series of 24 recommendations as part of a four-part plan to integrate transportation, growth and land use planning in the GTHA, maximize the value of public infrastructure investment, optimize system and network efficiencies, and dedicate new revenue sources for transit and transportation. These recommendations included revenue tools and policy recommendations. Metrolinx also advised that funds raised by all
869-711: A short distance north of Highway 407 , where the concession is cut off by the Claireville Conservation Area . The concession is then called McVean Drive in northeastern Brampton, north of Queen Street, the former Highway 7 . It then continues into Caledon as Centreville Creek Road. On August 19, 2005, a freak rainstorm in Toronto caused the Black Creek water level to rise, which caused a section of Finch Avenue West near Sentinel Road (due south of York University between Keele and Jane Streets) to collapse, leaving
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#1732858886200948-537: A week, and are predicted to eliminate 1.5 million car trips annually. The duration of this trip is approximately 25 minutes. The line uses a Metrolinx-owned railway rail corridor now used by GO Transit , as part of the Georgetown South Project to allow for additional train traffic. The UP Express shares the same path as trains on the Kitchener line , before splitting off onto a separate subdivision just west of
1027-782: Is a founding member of the Durham Strategic Energy Alliance or DSEA. The nucleus of the DSEA is primarily Pickering businesses, such as Ontario Power Generation, Veridian, Siemens/Trench, Tetra Tech WEI, AECL, Intellimeter, Areva and Eco-Tec Inc. Other notable organizations with headquarters in Pickering include: Municipal Property Assessment Corporation . MPAC performs value assessment for property tax purposes for all municipalities in Ontario. In 2012 Search Engine People, Canada's largest Internet-marketing company, moved to Pickering's downtown. The International Institute of Business Analysis
1106-604: Is also a private elementary and junior high school there called Montessori Learning Centre. Also serving the Durham Region is Durham Secondary Academy and Middle School, an inspected private high school and middle school for grades 5 to 12. In September 2012, the Durham College/Centennial College Joint Learning Site opened at the north terminus of the pedestrian bridge. The Joint Learning Site offers primarily graduate certificate programs, with
1185-507: Is also headquartered in Pickering. In 2006, Profit magazine recognized Pickering as one of the top 10 cities in Canada for growing a business. In 2013, the Region of Durham released its Business Count (Employment Survey), which indicated that Pickering has the most jobs amongst Durham Region municipalities, with 29,000+ positions. This figure represents a near 1/3 ratio of jobs to residents. With
1264-401: Is also known as Durham Regional Road 37 . In Pickering, Finch Avenue is also known as Durham Road # 37 and continues east to Brock Road (Durham Regional Road 1). It ends at a cul-de-sac at Kingston Road (Durham Regional Highway 2 and formerly provincial Highway 2 ), and Kingston Rd. continues the concession line to the eastern boundary of Oshawa . In Mississauga and Brampton, Finch Avenue
1343-727: Is also responsible for operating the GO Transit system, the Presto card used across the GTHA and by OC Transpo in Ottawa and the Union Pearson Express airport rail link to Toronto Pearson International Airport . Metrolinx is also responsible for the construction of transit expansion projects worth nearly $ 30 billion in Toronto – including Line 5 Eglinton , the Ontario Line ,
1422-634: Is delivered through local transportation management associations. Originally conducted under the Ontario Ministry of Transportation in 2006, the Transit Procurement Initiative involves Metrolinx assisting municipal transit operators with the procurement of vehicles, equipment, technologies, facilities and related supplies. The goal of the program is to reduce per unit cost, increase unit quality, and provide an open and transparent procurement process for municipal transit operators. To date,
1501-402: Is designated as Peel Regional Road 2 , and is the shortest road corridor under the jurisdiction of the Region of Peel. Finch subway station (on the eastern branch of Line 1 Yonge–University of the Toronto subway ) is located at the intersection of Finch Avenue and Yonge Street . It is the northern terminus of the eastern branch and is a major regional transit hub. The Finch Bus Terminal ,
1580-505: Is divided into following neighbourhoods: In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada , Pickering had a population of 99,186 living in 33,425 of its 34,327 total private dwellings, a change of 8.1% from its 2016 population of 91,771 . With a land area of 231.1 km (89.2 sq mi), it had a population density of 429.2/km (1,111.6/sq mi) in 2021. The city has estimated that by 2031, Pickering will be home to 131,608 residents. In 2021, 16.5% of
1659-716: Is in the Vaughan riding of the then-transportation minister, Steven Del Duca , and Lawrence East in Scarborough is part of Toronto mayor John Tory's " SmartTrack " plan, his signature campaign promise. Both stations were not recommended to be constructed in the near term by an external consultant, AECOM , hired by Metrolinx. However, they were both shortlisted to begin construction. Ontario's auditor general found that Metrolinx incurred about $ 436 million "in sunk and additional" – unrecoverable – costs between 2009 and 2018 due to numerous changes in transit plans. In Ottawa, where Metrolinx
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#17328588862001738-409: Is now cut off from the lake by a waste water treatment plant. The northern part of the municipality is mainly rural , primarily used for agricultural purposes. However, a number of residential developments are found in this area, and the locally controversial Seaton area also falls within this part of the city. The primary rural communities in Pickering are Claremont , Brougham , and Whitevale ;
1817-525: Is only involved in fare collection, Jim Watson , the former mayor of Ottawa , has criticized Metrolinx for wanting to increase the fee it collects from 2% to 10%, and characterized it as a monopoly. Metrolinx used to be governed by a board consisting of various appointees from the Ontario government and the regions within the GTHA. After the passage of the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area Transit Implementation Act, 2009 merging Metrolinx and GO Transit,
1896-603: Is served by the Durham District School Board , the Durham Catholic District School Board , the Conseil scolaire Viamonde and the Conseil scolaire de district catholique Centre-Sud . As of early 2007, the public board operates 17 elementary schools and two secondary schools, Dunbarton High School and Pine Ridge Secondary School ( Pickering High School was previously located in Pickering, but
1975-595: Is underway for some projects supporting the Regional Transportation Plan . The three levels of government have provided $ 16 billion toward the first wave of projects, which are already underway. The next wave of projects were still in the planning phase at the time of the Big Move's release, and still subject to funding. Some of these projects have since attained approved funding, while others have not. The Metrolinx Investment Strategy, released in May 2013, proposes
2054-466: The Greater Golden Horseshoe . GO carries over 65 million passengers a year using an extensive network of train and bus services; rail service is provided by diesel locomotives pulling trains of unpowered double-deck passenger cars , while most bus service is provided by inter-city coaches . Canada's first such public system, GO Transit began regular passenger service on May 23, 1967, under
2133-506: The Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA). It was created as the Greater Toronto Transportation Authority on June 22, 2006, and adopted its present name as a brand name in 2007 and eventually as the legal name in 2009. It is headquartered at Union Station in Toronto . Metrolinx serves as the central procurement agency on behalf of Ontario municipalities for local transit vehicles, equipment and services. It
2212-637: The Line 1 subway extension into Richmond Hill in York Region , and the Line 2 extension – following a 2020 agreement with the City of Toronto . The Greater Toronto Transportation Authority was created by legislation and introduced in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario on April 24, 2006. The bill was passed and received royal assent on June 22, 2006. In April 2007, a transition team seconded from
2291-671: The Pickering Village (now in Ajax ), possibly in the 1770s. The other candidate is Benjamin Wilson of Vermont , who probably lived in Pickering for sometime, before moving to Whitby in 1794. In the 1780s, the present-day Pickering area was a part of the Nassau District of the Province of Quebec . In 1791, Augustus Jones undertook a survey of the area, establishing the baseline and some of
2370-526: The United States (1.7%). The median total income of households in 2020 for Pickering was $ 118,000. As per the 2021 census, the most common ethnic or cultural origins in Pickering are English (14.0%), Irish (11.5%), Scottish (11.0%), Canadian (10.6%), Indian (9.6%), Italian (5.6%), German (5.0%), Jamaican (4.3%), Filipino (4.3%), Chinese (3.9%), British Isles (3.6%), Pakistani (3.5%), Sri Lankan (3.3%), and French (3.3%). Indigenous people made up 1.1% of
2449-463: The concessions . The same year, the District was transferred to the newly created province of Upper Canada . In 1792, the district was renamed Home District, and Pickering was established as a township . The township was originally called "Edinburgh" but in 1792 was renamed after Pickering, North Yorkshire . Pickering Village, now part of Ajax, emerged as the major population and commercial centre of
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2528-458: The 14 lanes of highway 401 was a recent development that has contributed to Pickering's push for more density downtown. The project Durham Live in south Pickering received approval for construction in 2017. It will include a water park, film studio, five star hotel, performing arts theater and possibly a casino. The city council consists of a mayor, three regional councillors, and three city councillors. The mayor and regional councillors sit on
2607-574: The 1770s, the area was settled by primarily British colonists. An increase in population occurred after the American Revolutionary War , when the Crown resettled Loyalists and encouraged new immigration. Many of the smaller rural communities have been preserved and function as provincially significant historic sites and museums. The city also includes the development of Durham Live , a multi-billion-dollar casino complex. The present-day Pickering
2686-595: The 1960s, Finch was rapidly reconstructed from a gravel road into a four-laned traffic artery. This began with the realignment of several sections, such as at Bayview where Newtonbrook Creek flows diagonally beneath the crossroads. A rail overpass west of Leslie was built by 1968. In the west, Finch originally ended at the Humber River at Islington Avenue . A separate western section was later constructed as development occurred in the-then Borough of Etobicoke . Traffic proceeding west had to travel on Islington, south across
2765-472: The 1980s, due to the quality of the historical buildings and untouched nature of the landscape. The television shows Hannibal (2013–2015) Suits (2011–2019), and American Gods (2017) have filmed extensively in Whitevale and in other locations in Pickering. Nautical Village is located at Frenchman's Bay and features entertainment, a playground, a boardwalk, restaurants, shops and an art gallery. The city
2844-436: The 21st century, but as of 2022, only 1,549 of the 20,989 planned units had been built. The city also considered the development of a new community called Veraine, to be built in northeastern Pickering. The city also saw a rise in the number of high-rise condos . The city covers an area of 231 square kilometres (89 sq mi) with an elevation of 89 metres (292 ft). Toronto, Markham , and Rouge Park border Pickering on
2923-619: The Bay Shores dial-a-bus, which began in 1970–1973. In 2001 Pickering Transit merged with former Ajax Transit to form the Ajax-Pickering Transit Authority (APTA). In 2006, the regional transit system Durham Region Transit took over operations in the Durham Regional Municipality . The Pickering GO station offers public rail transit on an east–west axis. In 2012, Pickering's landmark bridge opened – connecting
3002-584: The Etobicoke North Station. It stops at the existing Bloor and Weston GO Stations. The Presto card, originally known as the GTA Farecard, is a smartcard -based fare payment system for public transit systems in Ontario, including those in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area and Ottawa . The Presto system is designed to support the use of one common farecard for fare payment on various public transit systems, through electronic readers that calculate
3081-723: The Five Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy . The Onondaga (and other Iroquois) generally occupied territory to the south and west of Lakes Ontario and Erie in present-day New York that extended into Pennsylvania and the Ohio Valley, where they maintained hunting grounds. (The Seneca were located farther west, near Seneca Lake , among the Finger Lakes . Fenelon wintered at the village and started missionary work with this people. ) The British took over Canada in 1763 following defeat of
3160-618: The French in the Seven Years' War , known in Colonial America as the French and Indian War . They likely completed survey of the township about 1776. British colonial settlers were steadily migrating into the area from eastern areas of Canada. There is some controversy over the identity of the earliest European settler in the area. One of the candidates is Mike Duffin, who settled in what later became
3239-482: The GTHA and Ottawa. By January 2017, Presto had been fully implemented on the following 11 transit systems: Smart Commute is a program that, with the support of local municipalities, endeavours to fight climate change by reducing traffic congestion and increasing transit efficiency. Employers and employees in the GTHA can explore and have assistance with different commuting options, such as carpooling , transit, cycling, walking, remote work , and flextime . The program
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3318-499: The Humber to Albion Road , and west beyond Kipling Avenue to reach it. In the early 1990s, this gap was closed. Earlier, in the 1980s a short extension was built northwestward into Mississauga and Brampton with the construction of Highway 427 , following the former Toronto Gore Township Concession 3, which originally spurred off Indian Line , the precursor to the 427. Finch ends at Steeles Avenue , and Gorewood Drive continues it for
3397-510: The Lakeshore rail lines run every 30 minutes, making the biggest expansion in GO Transit history. The Union Pearson Express (UP Express) airport rail link service began operation on June 6, 2015, linking Union Station in downtown Toronto with Pearson International Airport in the city of Mississauga , roughly 23.3 km (14.5 mi) away. The trains run every fifteen minutes, seven days
3476-653: The Metrolinx board structure was changed, with politicians specifically prohibited from serving. The Metrolinx president and CEO is Phil Verster (April 2020), who also serves as a member of the board of directors. Metrolinx's board of directors is composed of not more than 15 persons (including the CEO) appointed by the Ontario's lieutenant governor on the recommendation of the Ontario Minister of Transportation. As of January 2018,
3555-511: The Ontario Public Service began work at the GTTA's headquarters at 20 Bay Street in Toronto. On December 4, 2007, the GTTA adopted the name 'Metrolinx' for public use. At the same time, it launched a new web site, and released the first of its series of green papers on transportation issues, part of the process of creating the Regional Transportation Plan. From June 2008, Metrolinx began using
3634-536: The Pickering GO station to the city's downtown core. Durham Regional Roads serve the city, north and south. Highway 401 runs near the south end of Pickering and Highway 407 ETR runs through the mid-north of the city. Pickering Airport was a planned second major airport for the Greater Toronto Area. Lands were expropriated in north Pickering in 1972 but the plan was stopped. As of 2021 no firm plans for
3713-510: The Pickering Township in the early 19th century. The conversion of a local trail into the Kingston Road in 1799 contributed greatly to the increased settlement in the area. In 1807, Quakers led by Timothy Rogers settled in the area, and by 1809, the population of Pickering Township consisted of 180 people, most of whom lived along the Duffins Creek . In 1811, the Pickering Township became
3792-469: The Pickering Township was severed from the York County , and became a part of the newly established Ontario County . In the later decades of the 19th century, a fall in the demand for wheat led to economic decline in the primarily-agricultural township. The township lost over 40% of its population in the second half of the 19th century, and the decline continued in the first half of the 20th century. In
3871-622: The Township. On 1 January 1974, the Ontario County was dissolved, and the area became part of the Regional Municipality of Durham . The southeastern portion of the Pickering Township, including the Pickering Village and Pickering High School , became part of the independent town of Ajax . The rest of the township became the Town of Pickering, which in 2000, became the City of Pickering. In
3950-508: The York-Durham town line are other small communities in Pickering, with a population each of between 50 and 100 people. Most of these communities were founded in the 1700s and 1800s and have churches and historic estates that have been restored through government funding. Dixie is a small rural community situated in rural Pickering, with more contemporary buildings. The film industry has been very active in communities such as Whitevale , since
4029-550: The airport exist. Police services in Pickering are provided by the Durham Regional Police from a division office located in the eastern section of the city. Officers from this location also patrol Ajax. Pickering Fire Services operates from four stations with a force of all full-time firefighters. Claremont Fire Hall is now fully staffed by full-time firefighters 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Ambulance/emergency medical services are provided by Durham Region. Pickering
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#17328588862004108-571: The auspices of the Ontario Ministry of Transportation . Over time it has been constituted in a variety of public-sector configurations, but it became an operating division of Metrolinx in 2009. New and improved GO service is a top transit priority listed in the regional transportation plan. Since 2009, GO Transit has introduced seasonal train service to Barrie and Niagara Falls, extended service to Kitchener and Lake Simcoe, opened four new stations at Acton, Guelph Central, Allandale Waterfront, and Hamilton West Harbour. Since June 2013, GO Trains along
4187-465: The chair was Donald Wright. Notable former staff include Robert Prichard (chair 2010–2018; CEO and president 2009–2010), and Rob MacIsaac (chair 2006–2010). Pickering, Ontario [REDACTED] / [REDACTED] Highway 407 Pickering ( 2021 population 99,186 ) is a city located in Southern Ontario , Canada, immediately east of Toronto in Durham Region . Beginning in
4266-516: The construction of several light rail lines under the Transit City plan, one of which was Line 6 Finch West , which was to operate between Humber College in the west and Finch West station in the east. After the succeeding mayor Rob Ford cancelled the line, it was restored through a vote in the city council. Funding was then approved by Metrolinx and had been scheduled for completion in 2022. Still, after consultation with Mosaic Transit Group over
4345-422: The construction schedule, Metrolinx delayed the line's completion to 2024. Points of interest along Finch from west to east: Pawnee Avenue is a former alignment of Finch Avenue. Pawnee Avenue runs along the former North York Township road alignment between Highway 404 and Victoria Park Avenue. Old Finch Avenue (despite its name, there is no "New" Finch) is a separate part of the present road alignment severed from
4424-401: The correct fare and deduct it from a preloaded balance. Presto will also centralize its operational logistics, such as farecard procurement, reporting services, and a customer call centre. The system was trialled from June 25, 2007, to September 30, 2008. Full implementation began in November 2009. It will be rolled out across the province in stages. Presto now serves over a million customers in
4503-424: The council and also represent the city at Durham Regional Council. The city councillors sit on city council only. Pickering is divided into three wards of roughly equal population, with one city councillor and one regional councillor elected to represent each ward, in what are known as single-member districts . The current mayor, Kevin Ashe, has held the mayoralty since 2022. Transit service began in Pickering with
4582-415: The early 17th century, followed by missionaries and fur traders . The first recorded history of this area was made in 1669, when the French Jesuit missionary François de Salignac de la Mothe-Fénelon noted reaching what he called the Seneca (more likely the Onondaga ) village of Gandatsetiagon , on the shores of Frenchman's Bay (for whom it would be named). The Onondaga (and the Seneca) were among
4661-448: The east. West of Humberwood Boulevard, the TTC routes 36 and 336 diverge, and Brampton transit buses take over. The Brampton Transit 11 Steeles operates westward only to Steeles, and the 511 Züm Steeles operates express from Steeles. Finch West station (on the western branch of Line 1) was opened on December 17, 2017 and is located at the intersection of Finch Avenue and Keele Street . In 2007, former mayor David Miller proposed
4740-413: The first half of the 20th century, two new communities emerged in the Pickering Township: the cottage community of Pickering Beach and the self-contained community around the federal government-owned Defence Industries Limited Pickering Works munitions plant. Both areas are now part of Ajax. After the World War II , urbanization began in the southern part of Pickering, and later spread to other parts of
4819-456: The implementation of Seaton and downtown intensification, the Province of Ontario's planning anticipates the creation of 40,000 new jobs for Pickering over the next two decades. Pickering has planned a downtown intensification program, which includes new condominium developments around the Pickering GO station and Pickering Town Centre. Pickering Town Centre is a two-story mall located in Pickering. An enclosed pedestrian bridge constructed over
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#17328588862004898-426: The last quarter of the 20th century, much of the government-owned land in northern Pickering sat idle because of uncertainty over the proposed Pickering Airport . That included the land expropriated by the federal government for the airport and the adjacent land expropriated by the provincial government for the proposed Seaton community that would benefit from the airport. The development of Seaton picked up pace in
4977-577: The longest streets in the Greater Toronto Area ), few major landmarks are on Finch; it runs primarily through business and residential areas. The North York City Centre area, which runs south from Finch's intersection with Yonge Street, has many condominium and office high-rises. Most of Finch Avenue west of Morningside Avenue is a four- to six-lane principal arterial, with a speed limit of 50 km/h (31–40 mph) in most sections. A part between Markham Road and Midland Ave remains at 60km/h. East of Morningside, Finch Ave. E becomes Staines Rd.,
5056-468: The main section of the street, after a northward arc in its course was partially incorporated into a northerly extension of Morningside Avenue, creating a jog. It runs from Morningside Avenue to east of Sewells Road in northeastern Scarborough, and ends at the western boundary of Rouge Park . Metrolinx Metrolinx is a transportation agency in Ontario , Canada . It is a Crown agency that manages and integrates road and public transportation in
5135-416: The more suburban stretches of the line, from Laird Drive to Kennedy Station, should be built at street level instead of a more costly underground alignment. Metrolinx was criticized after a Toronto Star investigation found that the agency has approved two transit stations, Kirby and Lawrence East, for the GO Regional Express Rail expansion due to political pressure from the Ministry of Transportation. Kirby
5214-414: The new taxes would be put in a dedicated transportation trust fund, one that would be administered by a board separate from Metrolinx. The Investment Strategy was given to the government for consideration in 2013. As of May 2024 , Metrolinx is managing the following public transit projects: GO Transit is the inter-regional public transit system serving the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area and
5293-435: The official languages, 98.6% of the population reported knowing English and 7.3% French. Pickering is home to the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station , an eight-reactor facility with a capacity of 4,120 megawatts. The first station, Pickering A, opened with four reactors in 1971. Ontario Power Generation , the plants' operator, is the largest single employer in the city. In 2001, the wind-powered OPG 7 Commemorative Turbine
5372-473: The population reported no religious affiliation. Others identified as Muslim (12.6%), Hindu (8.3%), Sikh (0.8%), Buddhist (0.5%), and with other religions. The 2021 census found English to be the mother tongue of 69.2% of the population. This was followed by Urdu (3.1%), Tamil (3.0%), Tagalog (1.8%), Arabic (1.2%), Spanish (1.1%), French (1.1%), Italian (1.0%), Gujarati (1.0%), Dari (0.9%), Mandarin (0.8%), and Cantonese (0.8%). Of
5451-465: The population was under 15 years of age, and 16.6% was 65 years and over. The median age in Pickering was 40.8 years. Immigrants made up 36.3% of the population in 2021. The top places of birth of the immigrant population were India (11.2%), Sri Lanka (8.2%), Pakistan (7.9%), Philippines (7.5%), Jamaica (7.2%), the United Kingdom (7.0%), Guyana (6.6%), Trinidad and Tobago (3.7%), China (2.7%), Bangladesh (2.5%), Afghanistan (2.4%), and
5530-506: The population, mostly First Nations (0.5%) and Métis (0.5%). Ethnocultural backgrounds in the town included European (47.0%), South Asian (21.2%), Black (11.4%), Filipino (4.1%), Chinese (3.0%), West Asian (2.1%), Arab (1.7%), and Latin American (1.5%). In 2021, 53.7% of the population identified as Christian , with Catholics (25.7%) making up the largest denomination, followed by Anglican (3.9%), Orthodox (3.8%), United Church (3.0%), and other denominations. 23.2% of
5609-434: The program has supported 21 municipalities and transit agencies, has purchased over 400 buses, and has saved an estimated $ 5 million. Metrolinx also seeks partnerships with individuals and the community, and offers financial support for proposed projects that support transit. Smart Commute includes various programs for commuters, including carpool ride-matching, walking and cycling, and teleworking programs. In July 2015,
5688-530: The smaller Carruthers Creek watershed, including Audley (now part of Ajax), Kinsale, and Salem. In 1849, the village of Dunbarton was established along the Dunbarton Creek. The Grand Trunk Railway reached the Township in 1856. Pickering was represented in the Mackenzie Rebellion of 1837. One of its leaders, Peter Matthews , had been one of the most prominent members of the community. In 1851,
5767-615: The war, the few suburban areas in the township were the communities of Dunbarton, Fairport Beach, Liverpool Market, and Rouge Hill. Squires Beach, located by the lake shore in the southeast part of the city, is now a ghost town as the area was cleared from 1966 to make way for the construction of the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station . The only home standing in Squires Beach was built by Timothy Rogers in 1842 and relocated to Montgomery Park Road. Squires Beach Road
5846-421: The west; Ajax and Whitby border Pickering on the east; Uxbridge is to the north; and Lake Ontario forms Pickering's southern boundary. The southern part of the city is mainly suburban , with industrial areas restricted to the area around Pickering Nuclear Generating Station . Most of the suburban areas were built as subdivisions after World War II , starting in the area around Frenchman's Bay. Prior to
5925-580: Was Aboriginal territory for thousands of years. The Wyandot (called the Huron by Europeans), who spoke an Iroquoian language , were the historical people living here in the 15th century. Archeological remains of a large village have been found here, known as the Draper Site . Later, the Wyandot moved northwest to Georgian Bay , where they established their historic homeland. There they encountered French explorers in
6004-469: Was a concession road , and at one time, there were a number of older churches, schoolhouses, and cemeteries on each side of the road. In the 1950s, Ontario Hydro built a series of transmission lines around Toronto, and paralleled Finch from Highway 400 eastward into Pickering . A compressed natural gas pipeline also follows this routing. As suburban development in North York progressed northward in
6083-629: Was elected mayor of Toronto in December 2010, he declared Transit City , the provincially funded transit expansion plan of light rail lines, dead. These lines were a large component of Metrolinx's 2008 Big Move . Metrolinx was again criticized when, in January 2012, its CEO declared that it would bend to what Toronto City Council wanted regarding how the Eglinton-Scarborough Crosstown LRT line should be built. The issue centred on whether
6162-556: Was opened on the generating station site. The nuclear power plant is expected to start decommissioning in 2024. A number of manufacturers are also located in the city. Major employers include Yorkville Sound (audio equipment), the Canadian headquarters of Purdue Pharma (pharmaceuticals and health & beauty products), Hubbell Canada (electrical equipment), PSB Speakers – Lenbrook (stereo equipment) and Eco-Tec Inc. (industrial water purification and chemical recovery systems). Pickering
6241-446: Was transferred to Ajax when the city boundaries were changed). The Catholic board runs eight elementary schools and one secondary school, Saint Mary Catholic Secondary School . The French public school board operates École Ronald-Marion, which serves both elementary and secondary students. Blaisdale Montessori School, a private school chain, has several locations throughout Pickering serving children from preschool age to grade 8. There
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