The Eglinton light rail transport (LRT) project
Since the beginning of the pandemic, businesses all over the world have been on a downwards path. This, however, has been the case in little Jamaica since 2011. The Eglinton light rail transport (LRT) project has been a major blow to almost all enterprises in the little neighborhood. Since 2011, the massive project has left many sidewalks closed which have consequently turned the town into a “ghost town”. This has been a bigger blow to small businesses such as barbers and salons that depend on daily walking traffic for customers (DeLaire, 2020).
The project, which is a 19 km long light rail, was intended to be complete by 2021. However, inevitable delays and inconveniences have been brought about by COVID-19 which have led to halting of construction. Consequently, earlier this month, Metrolinx announced that the completion date has been pushed to an uncertain date in 2022(DeLaire, 2020). On the same note, since the pandemic began, the little walking traffic that was evident has significantly gone down. This has been a further blow to the businesses. By the beginning of March, approximately 140 businesses had shut their doors owing to these devastating business conditions (“Little Jamaica businesses suffer amid yet another delay in Eglinton LRT construction | CBC News”, 2020).
City councilors Michael Colle and Josh Matlow have already acknowledged how hard it has been for the businesses and they have called upon the people to visit the stores in the neighborhood to support them. The councilors have been pushing for the province to compensate for the few businesses that are still operational. The same pleas have been forwarded to the transportation ministry as well as Metrolinx. However, Metrolinx vowed to continue offering some support for the businesses but not in the form of compensation.
The completion of the project will come as a boost for the local black businesses. However, with COVID-19 persisting, more delays are imminent and businesses will continue to suffer.