*PLEASE SEE THE UPDATES SECTION! OUR PETITION WAS SUCCESSFUL!*

Hello Everyone,

For nearly 50 years, the Bus stops located at 366 The East Mall, and the opposing side next to East Mall Park, have been neighbourhood fixtures which have served The Queenscourt Condominium and immediate area. As one of the most heavily used pairs of stops on the #111 East Mall bus route, these stops have proven themselves invaluable to the commuters of this community for decades.

This all changed when, after the 2025 Thanksgiving holiday weekend, signs posted on the two bus stop poles and southbound shelter revealed that these two stops were to be deactivated. This came as a shock to many of us, as there was no prior indication, notice or community consultation that this was something the TTC was planning to do. 

The Queenscourt condominium complex is a very large property. There have always been two stops serving our community, one at the southern end at the intersection with Valhalla Inn Rd, and one at the northern end outside of 366 The East Mall beside the Loblaws (which opened in 1999). Having now just one stop directly serving our large property at the southern end is unequivocally negligent on the TTC's part, and demonstrates their obliviousness to the needs and usage patterns of our condominium. 

I took it upon myself to personally measure the distances between these two north and south points, and on both sides of The East Mall. It is approx. 205 Metres.

On the southbound side, the TTC has arbitrarily added an extra approx. 160 metres distance from our deactivated 366 stop to the new stop at "Cantle Path", and about 110 Metres extra distance on the northbound "Cantle Path" side.

With the two stops at 366 eliminated, the distance between the two new "Cantle Path" stops and the two stops still serving the southern end of the Queenscourt condominium is about 365 metres (southbound) and 315 meters (northbound), respectively.

For reference, here is a chart of all bus stop placement distances on the East Mall, old and new configuration, between Burnhamthorpe Rd. to Valhalla Inn Rd.:

Southbound side bus stop distances (towards Kipling Station):

1. Burnhamthorpe Rd - Southwest corner to the New "Cantle Path" stop: 127m

2. New "Cantle Path" stop to our now-deactivated 366 The East Mall bus stop: 160m

3. Deactivated 366 The East Mall stop to southern end of Queenscourt condominium & Valhalla Inn Rd: 205m

Northbound side bus stop distances (towards Eglinton Ave.):

1. Valhalla Inn Rd. and Queenscourt southern end to now-deactivated stop at 366 The East Mall opposite side: 205m 

2. Now-deactivated stop at 366 The East Mall opposite side to the new "Cantle Path" stop opposite side: 115m

3. New "Cantle Path" stop opposite side to Eatonville Library stop: 185m 

On October 16th, I reached out to the constituency office of Etobicoke-Centre Ward 2 Councillor Stephen Holyday. After an initial email exchange, they escalated the matter with the TTC.
A manager from the TTC did get in contact with me several days later. They informed me that part of the reason this change occurred was due to accessibility concerns. They cited the bus bay (which the bus pulls into to load/unload) as causing a problem in meeting minimum standards for accessibility, and "tight property lines" not allowing upgrades for the 366 southbound stop without "significant property acquisition" . There was no suggestion made to me of removing the two existing bays, and the two new stops do not have them on either side.

Since the two new stops at “Cantle Path” do not have bus bays, it is seemingly apparent that bus bays were not a vital requirement for the TTC in creating these new stops. Therefore, it can be proposed that:

1. Why not remove the two original bus bays on both sides of 366 if these are the major cause of concern for the TTC, thus allowing extra pedestrian space for new accessibility/sidewalk upgrades, thereby allowing 366 to keep both of our original bus stops?

The same staff member also cited increasing stop distance as both a "safety" matter and to be more consistent with the TTC standard of 400-600m between stops. But this is a questionable statement, due to the above chart which lists all former and current stop spacing distances from Valhalla Inn Rd. to Burnhamthorpe Rd. For example, the new stop spacing between Burnhamthorpe Rd. and "Cantle Path" is now closer than Burnhamthorpe Rd. and 366 The East Mall used to be. It also does not increase safety, which will be addressed below.

2. While sensible stop placement is important, the TTC is not taking into account the unique needs and configurations of each street/route/community. The TTC should take local geography, like the large condominium complex at 366 The East Mall, into account when spacing their stops, not rely on one-size-fits-all bullet points.

Additionally, the TTC added a new (albeit small) concrete pad to the northbound 366 stop sometime in early 2024, only to close the stop 18 months later. With some extra concrete/sidewalk stones installed at this stop, or the elimination of the bus bay entirely, this would easily solve any accessibility concern. 

Lastly and importantly, in regards to the safety claim. With the winter now coming soon, the first snowfall occurring on November 9th, with specific regard to the new southbound “Cantle Path” stop, there is no longer any available bus shelter, no seating, not even a garbage can. As of this writing (Nov 9th 2025), the deactivated southbound stop at 366 The East Mall still retains all 3 of these features, of which we are not permitted to use for our commutes, as if just there to taunt us. 
I find it a very deliberate and mean gesture by the TTC to have done this now, just before the winter arrives. To not have replacement fixtures like a shelter and seating already installed prior to deactivation is outright irresponsible. 
With the added problem we have experienced in recent times regarding subpar snow removal services on our sidewalks during the winter, if the TTC is very concerned about safety, forcing us to walk an extra 160m to “Cantle Path” on uncleared sidewalks, this goes directly against the claims of "safety" for TTC customers, and especially anyone with certain mobility issues. We now also must contend with crossing additional driveways and the busy intersection at Loblaws, where there are many left and right-turning cars trying to enter/leave the Loblaws driveway constantly throughout the day.

Please join me in signing this petition and let's convince the TTC that this decision was a mistake, and indicate your desire to have them reactivate the two bus stops at 366 The East Mall. 

Thank you very much for your time and support, it is greatly appreciated. Together, lets convince the TTC to correct their mistake!

Sincerely,

Chris Coates - Resident of 366 The East Mall

P.S. Additional steps you can take in this effort:

To Complain to the TTC Directly: 

Customer Service, by phone:  416-393-3030
Online Contact Form: https://www.ttc.ca/customer-service/contact-us

To Contact Our City Councillor Stephen Holyday Etobicoke-Centre Ward 2:

Phone: 416-392-4002
Email: Councillor_Holyday@Toronto.ca
City Staff page: https://www.toronto.ca/city-government/council/members-of-council/councillor-ward-2/

------------------------------------ CONTACTS TABLE ------------------------------------

Jamaal Myers
Role: Toronto City Councillor & TTC Chair
Main Contact:
Telephone: 416-338-2858
Fax: 416-392-7155 
Email: Councillor_Myers@toronto.ca

Constituency Office:
Scarborough Civic Centre, 150 Borough Drive, 2nd Floor, Scarborough, ON M1P 4N7
Telephone: 416-338-28582.

Arjun Sahota
Role: Manager, Community & Stakeholder Relations (A)
Corporate Affairs
CEO’s Office
M: (647)-706-6487
Email: Arjun.Sahota@ttc.ca

Joe Mihevc
Role: TTC Vice-Chair
Organization: Public Appointments Secretariat, City Clerk's Office
Address:
   12th floor, West Tower, City Hall, 100 Queen Street West, Toronto, ON M5H 2N2
   Telephone: 416-397-0088
   Email: appoint@toronto.ca

Stephen Holyday
Role: Toronto City Councillor – Etobicoke Centre, Ward 2
City Hall Office:
   Toronto City Hall, 100 Queen Street West, Suite B26, Toronto, ON M5H 2N2
   Telephone: 416-392-4002
   Email: councillor_holyday@toronto.ca

Natalie Johnson
Role: Journalist, CP24/CTV
Email: natalie.johnson@bellmedia.ca

CTV News Toronto
Telephone: (416) 384-5000
Email:
   news@bellmedia.ca
   newschannel@ctv.ca

CityNews Toronto
33 Dundas St. East
Toronto ON. M5B 1B8
(416) 599 – 2489 (CITY)

NewsRadio Toronto:
One Ted Rogers Way
Toronto, ON. M4Y 3B7
(416) 413 – 3930

CityNews  On Social:
X: @CityNewsTO
Facebook: @CityNewsTO
Instagram: @CityNewsTO

Global News Toronto
Telephone: 416-446-5460
Email (News tips/photos/videos): newstips@globaltv.com

Ausma Malik
Role: Deputy Mayor & TTC Board Member
City Hall Office:
   Toronto City Hall, 100 Queen Street West, Suite C54, Toronto, ON M5H 2N2
   Telephone: 416-392-4044
   Email: Councillor_Malik@toronto.ca

Olivia Chow
Role: Mayor of Toronto (NOT a TTC Board Member)
Office: Office of the Mayor
   City Hall, 2nd Floor
   100 Queen St. W., Toronto, ON M5H 2N2
Telephone: 416-397-CITY (2489)
Email: mayor_chow@toronto.ca

Paul Ainslie
Role: Toronto City Councillor & TTC Board Member
City Hall Office:
   Toronto City Hall, 100 Queen Street West, Suite C52, Toronto, ON M5H 2N2
   Telephone: 416-392-4008
   Email: councillor_ainslie@toronto.ca

Constituency Office:
  Scarborough Civic Centre, 150 Borough Drive, 2nd Floor, Scarborough, ON M1P 4N7
   Telephone: 416-396-7222
   Email: councillor_ainslie_co@toronto.ca

Alejandra Bravo
Role: Toronto City Councillor & TTC Board Member
City Hall Office:
   Toronto City Hall, 100 Queen Street West, Suite C42, Toronto, ON M5H 2N2
   Telephone: 416-392-7012
   Email: Councillor_Bravo@toronto.ca

Community Office:
   1240 Bloor Street West, Toronto, ON M6H 1N5
   Hours: Thursday & Friday, 12 p.m. – 5 p.m.

Josh Matlow
Role: Toronto City Councillor & TTC Board Member
City Hall Office:
   Toronto City Hall, 100 Queen Street West, Suite A17, Toronto, ON M5H 2N2
   Telephone: 416-392-7906
   Email: councillor_matlow@toronto.ca

Dr. Dianne Saxe
Role: Toronto City Councillor & TTC Board Member
City Hall Office:
   100 Queen Street West, Suite C47, Toronto, ON M5H 2N2
   Telephone: 416-392-4009
   Email: Councillor_Saxe@toronto.ca

Fenton Jagdeo, Liane Kim & Julie Osbourne
Role: Citizen Members of TTC Board
Organization: Public Appointments Secretariat, City Clerk's Office
Address:
   12th floor, West Tower, City Hall, 100 Queen Street West, Toronto, ON M5H 2N2
   Telephone: 416-397-0088
   Email: appoint@toronto.ca (could not find their individualized email addresses)