Cursed construction of Hurontario LRT continues to roil residents & businesses; completion date pushed to 2028

Beginning construction in the early months of 2020, the Hazel McCallion LRT line has been battered by lawsuits, construction delays, the COVID-19 pandemic and numerous timeline revisions that have caused businesses along the route to close and others to wonder when things will ever return to normal.

Charlie Budhoo is one of many small business owners who have felt firsthand how the construction right outside their storefronts continues to throw their livelihood into chaos.

Losing almost half his clientele, Mississauga business owner Charlie Budhoo says many of his regular customers have since found other places to shop due to heavy congestion and construction along Hurontario Street.

(Benjamin Steeves/The Pointer)

Budhoo has owned Charlie's West Indian Food Mart, Charlie’s Caribbean Cuisine, and Charlie’s Meat and Seafood, since 1991—located less than 40 feet from the intersection of Dundas and Hurontario—in Cooksville. He suffered a dramatic drop-off in business and foot traffic almost immediately after major construction of the LRT began in early 2020.

“(There’s) less people coming in because it's difficult to turn, and especially elderly people, they don't even bother. Many of the elders, I don't see anymore that I used to see,” he told The Pointer at his storefront last week. He says sales have declined about 40 percent since the start of construction.  

“(It’s) quite a lot, quite a drop of sales.” 

Budhoo attributes the disruption to a confluence of factors, between the heavily congested traffic in the area as cars edge through the maze of construction, and the concrete barrier dividing the north and south sides of Hurontario, where the foundations of the LRT tracks currently lay dormant. 

“I think what they're doing, what is happening, they're (drivers) trying to avoid this street, and then again, they cannot make a left turn here, they normally could make a left turn to (the) Plaza,” Budhoo said. “Lots of people don't want to go through the hassle.” 

Many have told him, “‘Charlie, I love shopping at your store, but it's so difficult'."

In October 2019, the Province signed a $4.6 billion contract with transit consortium Mobilinx to construct the Hazel McCallion LRT. The crucial high-order transit spine is meant to connect major terminals like Port Credit GO station, Cooksville GO station, Square One Go Bus Terminal, and the City Centre, up to the Brampton Gateway Terminal at Steeles Avenue, spanning 18 kilometers with 19 stops on a dedicated right-of-way.

Initially included in the 18-kilometre track, was a 2-kilometre downtown loop, around Mississauga’s city centre, linking to key MiWay bus routes. It has been the source of much controversy since the initial project approval. Premier Doug Ford first axed the addition as part of a cost-cutting budget in 2019. He reversed course in 2022, claiming ahead of that year’s provincial election he would “make it happen sooner or later”. In 2024, according to Mayor Carolyn Parrish, he cemented his commitment, ensuring the loop would be constructed.

In a city council meeting on February 4th, Mayor Parrish reaffirmed that commitment, citing a conversation with Premier Ford that morning at Mississauga’s Board of Trade meeting. 

A post from Mayor Carolyn Parrish on X last week, celebrating Premier Doug Ford’s latest commitment to construct the downtown loop of the Hurontario LRT.

(Carolyn Parrish/X)

No timeline for the loop’s construction, which originally planned three stops around Square One, has been made public. The Hurontario LRT map available on the City of Mississauga website does not include the loop. 

TOP: The map of the Hurontario LRT available on the City of Mississauga website. BOTTOM: The original map of the Hurontario LRT included the downtown loop. 

(Metrolinx)

Originally slated for a 2022 completion date, when the project was first announced in 2015 under the Liberal government of Kathleen Wynne, early pre-construction delays and uncertainty about the initial plan for a route into downtown Brampton, which was eventually rejected by the city’s council, pushed that timeline to the fall of 2024. That completion date was later abandoned. Neither Mobilinx nor Metrolinx, the provincial transit agency, has provided an updated completion date. 

In an email from the Mayor’s office sent to The Pointer and attributed to her, Parrish disclosed that she has been “assured” by the CEO of Metrolinx that the LRT is slated for completion in 2028. She later repeated the date when responding to critics of the delays on social media. 

Last September Parrish called the project “an incredible mess”.

Ward 7 Councillor Dipika Damerla, whose constituents have for years voiced their frustration over the delayed project, says she has repeatedly asked Metrolinx to address the concerns of residents and business owners face-to-face.  

“The only thing more frustrating than the very slow work taking place on the LRT is, frankly, the attitude of Metrolinx. It's arrogant, doesn't respond,” Damerla said. “It's a very simple request. I've been asking Metrolinx to host a town hall where residents and businesses can come in, where people can hear directly, unfiltered.”

While Damerla lauded Metrolinx for providing signage to inform residents that businesses buried behind construction barriers are still open, she said communication from Metrolinx is inconsistent, and response times vary widely. She has become a “conduit” between the residents of her ward and Metrolinx, as the transit agency rarely responds directly to the public.

“Nobody's expecting Metrolinx to announce at my town hall the date of completion, we are realistic, we know that even if they had a date of completion in mind, they're not going to disclose it at my town hall, that's not what my residents are after; but to express their concerns,” Damerla said. “If you're honest and you say ‘these are all the things we're doing to try and mitigate as much as possible’, explain to people, become a face, you'll make friends.” 

Officials from Metrolinx are scheduled to appear at Mississauga City Hall in May to address the ongoing construction. Damerla is unsure what they plan to specifically discuss. 

“There has been no formal communication to me as the ward councillor, as to the completion. You know, it would be helpful to my residents if Metrolinx can just talk through ‘What's 2026 going to look like?’” Damerla said.

Budhoo's is one of hundreds of businesses along the entire length of the LRT route, from the lakeshore right to the northern border, that has been impacted by the delayed work.

Running from Hurontario Street all the way west to Confederation Street, the Cooksville Business Improvement Area (BIA) has partnered with more than 600 local businesses in the surrounding area, and has heard how many of its members are struggling.

“If you had been here six months ago, Hurontario and the four corners on Dundas was completely barricaded, because a lot of work was being done underground for infrastructure,” BIA Executive Director Anna Mikus told The Pointer. “I understand that has to happen and we're an older neighborhood of Mississauga. So a lot of underground work that was supposed to have only taken a few months ended up taking more than half a year. As a result, businesses look like they're closed if they're barricaded in front.”

Mikus described several instances of construction slated to take several hours according to Metrolinx, that instead took several days, with one minimart losing power, resulting in a loss of all its refrigerated and frozen products.

A salon in the same plaza also lost power and its access to running water.

“As a salon, you can't run your salon with no water. You can't do it,” Mikus said.

She shared the struggles of one locally-owned restaurant named Potluck Caribbean cuisine, formally located at 21 Dundas Street East, and previously owned by Sharon Johnson. Due to the ongoing construction, the owner tried relocating to a location in Meadowvale. It didn’t work, and the owner was forced to close the restaurant for good.

“Because of all the impacts of the construction, going down to one lane, her plaza being barricaded, she lost business big time. People would flock to Cooksville for her, she's been in this community for 30 years, and she just had enough.”

Mikus said businesses suffering due to the LRT’s chaotic construction impacts can file a claim for financial compensation with Metrolinx, but warned of a lengthy process. 

She said Metrolinx has been proactive about communicating details of the claim process, but expressed frustration on behalf of local businesses that have attempted to get compensation. “[T]hey're filing claims and going through that whole process, which is a very tedious process. They don't make it easy for the businesses.”

In a joint statement on February 10 from Councillor Damerla and Cooksville BIA’s Executive Director sent to The Pointer, both expressed their disappointment over the refusal by Metrolinx officials to participate in a public town hall that has not happened because of their lack of cooperation, while impacted residents and businesses continue to seek a public forum after six years of disruptive construction that has made day-to-day life along Hurontario seem like living in a giant maze. 

“I continue to believe that transparent engagement strengthens Metrolinx and enhances its credibility,” the councillor said. “A town hall would be a net positive for the organization and would help address many of the concerns residents continue to raise.”

Despite her many repeated attempts, Metrolinx officials have formally informed Damerla’s office that they will not participate, citing their focus on the upcoming council presentation in May (no date has been provided).

Damerla said using a meeting off in the distance is not proper justification for ignoring residents and businesses who continue to suffer due to the construction delays. “The reason provided, the need to prepare for their upcoming council presentation, is difficult to reconcile given that the town hall would focus on the same issues and information that the Metrolinx team regularly addresses.”

Metrolinx has also refused to participate in the Cooksville BIA’s upcoming Annual General Meeting.

“The Cooksville BIA is very disappointed that Metrolinx is unwilling to provide an update of the LRT Hazel McCallion Line project and the impacts in 2026.” Mikus said she was hoping local Cooksville businesses would hear directly from Metrolinx officials at the AGM on February 19, but remains optimistic that “perhaps when they are ready in the spring, we can arrange to have a town hall jointly with the councillor’s office”.

Other Mississauga council members shared their frustration regarding Metrolinx.

Councillor John Kovac, who represents Ward 4 which is bisected by the middle section of the Hurontario corridor, has heard criticism that “no work is being done” on the LRT project, which has seen delays that have ground activity to a halt.

Mobilinx has been embroiled in legal disputes related to the Hurontario LRT project, including its alleged failure to pay rental fees to a company and return equipment.

In late 2023, Barricade Traffic & Services filed a lawsuit against Mobilinx, alleging it was owed $300,000 for its traffic control equipment that was returned and used without payment. In the same year, Mobilinx was bogged down in another legal battle with rental equipment supplier, Edge1.  

As a result of the ongoing legal delays that have plagued the LRT project, a credit report by S&P released in October of 2024 downgraded Mobilinx’s credit rating to BBB, the second lowest of five categories in the rating agency’s “Investment Grade” classification (AAA, AA, A, BBB, BBB-).

The downgrade to BBB, is a warning to financial institutions that the project is facing serious challenges which, according to S&P, have to be managed in partnership with Metrolinx, the provincial transit agency.

One more downgrade would mean, according to S&P’s subjective analysis, that the Hurontario project is considered the “lowest investment-grade by market participants”, meaning it poses significant risk to any entity involved with its financing.

Kovac’s concerns were slightly alleviated after attending the Mississauga Board of Trade meeting earlier this week when Premier Ford confirmed the downtown loop will be built (when, remains a question).  

Kovac is still wondering why a timeline for the loop’s construction, around downtown Mississauga, has not been discussed. 

Ward 5 Councillor Natalie Hart, who represents the area around the Bristol Road and Hurontario intersection all the way up the corridor to the northern boundary of the city, echoed what her fellow members expressed in a council meeting last September, noting specifically that two hotels in her ward have been severely impacted, with one suffering revenue loss of more than 50 percent.

Legal setbacks and construction delays have hindered completion of the Hazel McCallion Light Rail Transit line. There is hope the project will be completed sometime in 2028.

(Alexis Wright/The Pointer)

According to an email from Metrolinx officials, 11 stops along the 19-stop line now have “their platform bases finished”. This includes: Queensway, Cooksville, Fairview Road, Burnhamthorpe Road, Robert Speck Parkway, Eglinton Avenue, Bristol Road, Matheson Boulevard, Britannia Road, Courtneypark Drive and Derry Road. 

Eglinton, Bristol, Matheson, Brittania, Courtneypark and Derry Road also have canopies installed over the stops. 

The email also details that track work has been completed at 36 of 55 intersections along the corridor, and that 45 percent of the rails have been laid in both directions.

Metrolinx officials said major progress has been made across critical path activities for such work as track installation and utility relocation including new road alignment, while the QEW “push box” underpass, for traffic to flow permanently northbound beneath a raised flyover portion of the LRT, was completed in late December.

Metrolinx staff said four Light Rail Vehicles have completed testing in Kingston, with an additional nine being delivered for testing.

Despite the agency’s attempts to communicate progress, it comes as little solace to the local business owners who have lost faith in the proverbial light at the end of the (LRT) tunnel.

Budhoo acknowledges, like many others, there is little that can be done. He is hopeful his beloved customers who find it too difficult to navigate the area, will return once the project is finally completed.

“Maybe when the time comes, construction is finished, maybe I'll have to run some kind of big special, put it on TV and radio, any newspapers, so that will attract some of them back. But I don't know if everybody will come back. Maybe they just get used to...wherever they're going now.”

Rekindling his faith in that distant light, for a moment, Budhoo allows himself to imagine what the future train in front of his store might mean.

“Eventually, it'll be good for everybody. It's unfortunate that it's affecting us, but eventually, it'll be good in general for the city. Now, I don't know if it's going to improve my business after that or not. I don't know. It's up in the air, right now.”

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