Metrolinx’s $12.5-billion Eglinton Crosstown LRT opens after years of disruption, but some business owners fear rising rents could threaten the cultural hub’s future.
After more than a decade of construction, the Eglinton Crosstown LRT is now running through Little Jamaica, a stretch of Eglinton Avenue West long known as a centre of Caribbean culture in Toronto. For many business owners in Little Jamaica, completion of the project marks the end of years of disruption. For some, it signals the start of new concerns about affordability and displacement.
The 19-kilometre Line 5 route opened Feb. 8. The $12.5-Billion project includes 25 stops and is projected to carry up to 14,600 passengers per hour in each direction during peak periods, according to Metrolinx.
Little Jamaica is home to restaurants serving authentic jerk cuisine, barber shops, record stores and beauty salons that have served Toronto’s Black and Caribbean communities for decades, including Studio M, an arts hub run by Jem M.
Surname said the prolonged construction “has absolutely devastated the community,” in an email. She wrote that she supports improved transit access but that she believes the project failed to reflect the neighbourhood it serves.
“The main issue has been a decrease in foot traffic. Both cars and pedestrians alike have naturally changed their daily routes over the years due to the severe detours and traffic jams Metrolinx has caused,” she wrote in an email.
Construction on the LRT began in 2011 under former premier Dalton McGuinty with an expected completion date of 2020. The project faced multiple delays, pushing the opening to 2026.
Metrolinx cited the COVID-19 pandemic, engineering challenges and utility relocations among the factors contributing to rising costs, which increased from an estimated $8.3 Billion to $12.5 Billion.
The agency said it supported local marketing campaigns, erected “Open for Business” signage, organized construction liaison committees and directed $35.7 Million in procurement to local businesses through its Community Benefits and Supports program.
“Roads have been open since 2023, with major construction completed in 2024,” the agency said in an email statement.
Jason McDonald, the owner of Casual Beauty Salon and chair of the Little Jamaica business improvement area, said some of those measures “fell short.”
“When Metrolinx comes with these initiatives, where you have to go into a raffle to win hundreds of dollars, that is a slap in the face,” he said in an interview.
McDonald said that more than 300 businesses closed during the construction period. A City of Toronto study documented approximately 140 storefront losses along the corridor since 2011, including 48 of 85 Black-owned businesses in the core Little Jamaica area.
“Business owners also reported revenue losses, flooding, rat infestations and structural damage from vibrations,” he said in an interview.
The line is operating with 44 low-floor light-rail vehicles manufactured by Alstom. Trains run every three to five minutes during peak periods.
McDonald is calling for what he describes as a “Perseverance Fund” to provide direct financial support to businesses that survived the construction period.
“There’s a handful of businesses that came here and they’re still here, they need immediate funding,” he said in an interview.
Little Jamaica received a cultural heritage district designation in 2022. “The City of Toronto has recognized Little Jamaica as a heritage conservation district yet the LRT station located in the heart is called Oakwood. There is no art or signage that would indicate it’s located in one of these districts,” says Jem in an email.
“The bit of culture that is still around. Not just the food. (The food is amazing.) The people, the art, the music,” Jem said when asked what she values most about the community.
Oakwood Station now provides step-free access to the area. Metrolinx says the new line will reduce crosstown travel times by up to 60 per cent.
McDonald said in an interview that improved access alone will not guarantee the neighbourhood’s future.
“This was a vibrant community. Foot traffic was there. The legacy of the LRT will be the extinction of Little Jamaica” he said in an interview.
Jem said solutions must also come from within the community.
“Local ongoing initiatives. Investing in ourselves. Creating a supportive community,” she said when asked what changes she plans to pursue.
“While we are entitled to the city’s help, that will not fix the broader issue at hand. What we need is people to come to Little Jamaica and shop. Have the dollar circle around the community before it reaches a corporation.”
She pointed to efforts such as the Little Jamaica Community Land Trust and initiatives like the Little Jamaica Night Market local business coupon as ways residents and entrepreneurs can pool resources and encourage local spending.
Coun. Josh Matlow introduced a motion at city council in 2021 aimed at protecting Little Jamaica. The motion passed but did not include enforcement mechanisms.
In an email statement, Metrolinx said that it provided $1.38 Million to Eglinton-area business improvement, including Little Jamaica, through City of Toronto grants. “The LRT will bring thousands of people into midtown communities, providing significant positive benefits to local businesses,” the agency said in an email.
For Jem, the issue goes beyond business survival.
“Racialized communities are the backbone of this country. Canada has always relied on immigrants to grow the economy. These migrants create these communities and bring culture that is loved by all. To take their food, music and culture and intentionally destroy their community is not right,” she said in an email.
For McDonald, the goal is not simply to endure.
“I did not go into business just to survive,” he said in an interview. “I’m seeking to thrive.”
Sia Shete 