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Newcomers across GTA not a priority in transit planning
Brampton’s 2025 study links immigrant-rich neighbourhoods to poor transit access.
For the increasing number of immigrants settling in Toronto's suburbs, public transit is a lifeline, connecting them to jobs, education and a host of necessary services.
Yet research shows that while newcomers often depend more heavily on transit than longer term Canadians, those living in outlying communities face more challenges travelling around their communities.
The gaps are especially visible in Brampton, where the city's own 2025 study shows an overlap between immigrant-rich neighbourhoods and poor public transportation to access jobs, health care and other essential services.
Studies and surveys in Toronto and Mississauga point to similar difficulties, raising questions about whether transit networks are keeping pace with the needs of the new communities they serve.
As Brampton, Mississauga and Toronto prepare to elect their next municipal councils, the question is not simply the funding of public transit systems, but whether they serve the people who most rely on buses and trains to get around.
Newcomers are especially reliant on public transit. According to 2021 census data for the Toronto metropolitan area, 28.5 per cent of immigrants who obtained permanent residency between 2016 and 2021 commuted by public transit, compared with 11.6 per cent of non-immigrants. Among temporary residents such as international students and temporary foreign workers, the figure was even higher, at 39.6 per cent.
Steven Farber, a professor at the University of Toronto who studies transportation equity, said recent immigrants use public transit at higher rates than Canadian-born residents, a pattern reflected in both census commuting data and the Transportation Tomorrow Survey.
[caption id="attachment_43264" align="alignleft" width="1738"] Public transit commuting in the Toronto metropolitan area by immigration status, 2021.
Source: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census. Chart prepared by Professor Steven Farber, University of Toronto.[/caption]
A 2024 national survey by Mobilizing Justice found that 45 per cent of recent immigrants had turned down job opportunities because of transportation difficulties, compared with 26 per cent of Canadian-born respondents.
Brampton: Where disadvantage and poor access overlap
Sara Jose, an IT professional who works in downtown Toronto, arrived from India in 2023 and lived in Brampton until last November. Without a driver's licence, she initially relied on public transit to get to work, taking a bus from her home to the Brampton Innovation District GO station before boarding a train to downtown Toronto.
Although her family owns a car and she has since obtained her driver’s licence, Jose said she still prefers public transit because it is cheaper and saves her the trouble of finding parking.
But she said the local bus was often the weakest link in her commute. The Route 502 bus would stop at Ray Lawson Boulevard for 15 to 20 minutes before continuing to the GO station.
“That is when you really feel you lose a lot of time,” she said.
During bad weather, Jose said two buses would sometimes arrive together; other times, none would show up. On her return journey, buses departed before passengers reached the stop.
And missing a connection could mean a long wait. Jose said if she reached the GO station after 8:30 a.m., the train runs less frequently and she had to wait 30 minutes or longer for the next one.
She said she shared her concerns with the transit agency and noticed that buses wait longer at stops. She said there appeared to be closer monitoring of the length of time buses remain at stops.
Jose has since moved to Oakville, which falls under a different municipal region, and said the public transit system is much more efficient there than the one she left behind.
Brampton provides one of the clearest examples of the challenges facing transit-dependent communities. The city's own 2025 Transportation Equity Framework identified neighbourhoods where residents facing greater social and economic disadvantages also have poorer access to jobs, health care, schools and important destinations.
[caption id="attachment_43259" align="alignleft" width="463"] Brampton Transit suspended four routes, citing low ridership due to the loss of international students in the city. Photo: The Pointer[/caption]
The study identified parts of western Brampton, particularly around Mississauga and Mayfield Road, and the Wildfield and Castlemore area in the northeast.
To assess which communities were most vulnerable to transportation barriers, the city considered factors including recent immigration; visible minority populations; unemployment; housing costs and access to vehicles.
A 2021 study published in the Journal of Transport Geography also found that immigrants living in peripheral suburbs can struggle to access opportunities due to inadequate transit services.
Brampton Transit has faced financial pressures following changes to federal immigration policy. In a 2025 budget forecast, city staff reported a 20 per cent year-over-year decline in ridership and an estimated $26 million reduction in fare revenue.
The forecast attributed much of the decline to the loss of international students. In April 2026, the transit authority suspended four of the city's routes, citing low ridership.
Brampton Transit did not respond to requests for comment about the service changes and research findings.
Toronto: Who gets considered in transit planning?
Andrew Pulsifer, executive director of transit advocacy group TTCriders, said residents of areas such as immigrant-rich Scarborough and Etobicoke have long raised concerns about the level of transit service available to them.
"There is a general sentiment that places like Scarborough and Etobicoke don't have the higher order transit that they feel they deserve," Pulsifer said.
A 2025 University of Toronto School of Cities analysis found that immigrant settlement in the Greater Toronto Area has increasingly shifted toward these suburbs, with newcomers also settling just outside the downtown core.
A 2024 study published in Case Studies on Transport Policy found that 72 per cent of TTC riders considered equity-deserving, based on visible minority status or low income, lived outside the neighbourhoods the TTC prioritizes in its equity-based service planning. The findings suggest that relying on designated neighbourhoods alone may overlook many disadvantaged transit users.
Farber, the University of Toronto professor and one of the study's authors, said this does not mean the TTC necessarily overlooks immigrant communities, and suggested closer collaboration with immigrant communities to identify barriers involving language, affordability and access to destinations.
The TTC's 2026–2028 Ridership Growth Strategy also identifies lower satisfaction among some groups of riders, including those with low incomes, younger passengers and shift workers.
Mississauga: No alternative for many transit users
Nishant Sharma, a banking professional who works in downtown Toronto, arrived in Canada in September 2026 and stayed with relatives in Mississauga while he started his job and settled into life in Canada. He commuted downtown every day.
He said the morning trip was manageable, but the return trip was not.
As a newcomer, Sharma did not know the last homebound train leaves Union Station at 7:10 p.m. on weekdays. One evening, he left work a little after 8 p.m. and could not find a train to Mississauga. GO runs buses on the corridor after the last train, but he didn't know that.
He said he took three or four local buses instead, and a trip that usually takes about an hour took more than double that time.
Sharma said he also found the transit stations hard to navigate. A family member guided him, he said, but without their help it would have taken “a day or two or three” to learn the system.
“You shouldn’t need any help from anyone just to board a train,” he said. He recently moved to downtown Toronto.
In Mississauga, a MiWay customer survey found that 59 per cent of respondents had no alternative means of transportation. Nearly four in five were under 35, while 35 per cent were students.
Mississauga is home to a substantial immigrant population. According to the 2021 census, 379,420 residents were immigrants, including more than 52,000 who arrived between 2016 and 2021.
[caption id="attachment_43258" align="aligncenter" width="2560"] In Mississauga, a MiWay transit customer survey found that 59 per cent of respondents had no alternative means of transportation. Photo: The Pointer[/caption]
Although Mississauga’s survey does not identify how many transit-dependent riders are newcomers, the figures raise questions about how well the city's transit network serves residents who have limited transportation options.
Research by the University of Toronto's Mobilizing Justice initiative highlighted the challenges facing workers who travel outside conventional commuting hours. As reported by CityNews in 2023, research identified northeast Mississauga as an area with concentrations of evening and night-shift workers.
Newer immigrants are disproportionately represented among workers on these schedules and they face additional difficulties when transit services are sporadic outside peak periods.
In response to questions about its planning approach, a MiWay spokesperson said it collects data about where passengers begin their journeys and where they need to travel when making transit service decisions.
In Scarborough connections are key
The new Scarborough Busway opened Sept. 30, connecting Kennedy Station to Scarborough Town Centre along the former Scarborough Rapid Transit corridor. The dedicated bus route promised shorter journeys for thousands of commuters.
Pranitha Rathakrishnan, who moved to Canada as a child, is a master's student living in Scarborough-Rouge Park. She noticed the difference immediately.
[caption id="attachment_43256" align="aligncenter" width="2560"] The Scarborough Busway opened in September 2026 to provide faster service for thousands of commuters. Photo: Toronto Transit Commission[/caption]
The day before the Busway opened, she said she missed her connection by just 30 seconds which delayed her arrival at her destination by 25 minutes. The following day, with the new Busway, she reached Scarborough Town Centre with five minutes to spare before her connecting bus arrived.
It was a relatively small improvement, but for someone who relies on public transit, it made a big difference. She said her family's growing dependence on public transportation has made her more aware of the importance of reliable connections.
What the ridership figures don't show
Antonio Páez, a professor at McMaster University who studies transportation equity, said assessing whether a transit system adequately serves its residents requires looking beyond ridership numbers and service frequency.
Transit planners should examine whether services are distributed according to residents' needs, particularly those who rely entirely on public transportation because they have no viable alternatives, he said.
That means examining not only where people live, but also which destinations they need to reach and how long those journeys take.
"Does someone need to travel 15 minutes or 90 minutes to reach a doctor, supermarket, job, etc.?" Páez said.
He said equity is seldom considered in conventional transit performance measures, which tend to focus on operating costs, service delivery and fuel emissions.
Páez also pointed to a less visible problem known as "suppressed travel," which are journeys people never undertake because public transit makes them impractical.
For instance, someone might decide against visiting a doctor because the journey would take three hours. Since the trip never happens, it doesn't appear in ridership figures.
Copyright 2026, New Canadian Media. All rights reserved.
Shilpashree Jagannathan and Mubin S. Khan, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, New Canadian Media.
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Metrolinx is hiring for high-paying jobs that offer up to $49 an hour or $198,000 a year
Positions are open in Toronto and the GTA.
Typhoonski | Dreamstime
Metrolinx jobs are currently open in Toronto and places across the GTA.
You can earn up to $49 per hour or $198,000 a year with these positions!
Metrolinx, the transit agency that operates GO Transit and UP Express in Ontario, is hiring people for jobs in IT, software development, construction, admin, customer protection and other work areas.
The deadlines for these high-paying jobs are in the next few weeks, so here's what you need to know if you want to apply.
Data Scientist
Salary: $93,798 to $127,484 a year
Company: Metrolinx
Location: Toronto
Who Should Apply: You must have a degree in statistics, applied math, engineering, computer science or a related discipline, or an equivalent combination of education, training, and experience.
Also, you need experience in:
- data science, advanced analytics, machine learning, predictive modelling or related disciplines
- Microsoft Azure, Azure Machine Learning, Databricks Lakehouse, Microsoft Fabric, Azure Data Lake Storage, and Azure AI services
- developing and deploying machine learning, forecasting, predictive, and prescriptive analytics models
- data engineering, ETL/ELT pipelines, feature engineering, and data quality management
- applying machine learning techniques and AI techniques, including time-series forecasting and large language models
- customer segmentation, profiling, clustering, association analysis, and basket analysis
- working with complex enterprise datasets and distributed computing environments
Proficiency in Python, SQL, PySpark/Spark, and large-scale data processing is required.
You must have knowledge of statistical analysis, including hypothesis testing, experimentation, and A/B testing.
The deadline is October 25, 2026, at 11:55 p.m.
I&IT Field Support Services Technician
Salary: $42.43 to $49.51 an hour
Company: Metrolinx
Location: Middlefield facility
Who Should Apply: You must have completed a college program related to an electronics and computer science field, with particular emphasis on network technology, or equivalent experience.
Also, CompTIA A+, Network + and multi-function printer certification or the equivalent is required.
You need a minimum of three years of experience in:
- installing, configuring and supporting end-user desktop software and devices in a networked environment.
- repairing, testing and maintaining electronic and mechanical equipment
- supporting desktop technologies and customer service associated with Single Point of Contact (SPOC) service desk
Knowledge of Microsoft applications and current Windows operating systems is required.
You also need advanced technical knowledge to troubleshoot and repair electronic/IP and telecommunications field equipment, multi-function printers, scanners and devices.
A valid Ontario class G driver's license is required for travelling in the GTHA.
You must have the ability to lift heavy equipment on a daily basis, be on-call on a rotational basis, and work in environments with frequent exposure to inclement weather conditions and noise.
The deadline is October 23, 2026, at 11:55 p.m.
Rail Traffic Controller
Salary: $91,421 to $124,253 a year
Company: Metrolinx
Location: Toronto or Oakville
Who Should Apply: You must have a diploma in business administration, transportation or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education, training and experience.
Four years of experience in a transportation control centre or related experience is required.
You need organizational, analytical, problem-solving, critical thinking, decision-making and communication skills
Also, you must be proficient in software applications, including Microsoft Word and Excel.
The ability to obtain Canadian Rail Operating Rules (CROR) certification is required, but training will be provided.
Since this is a 24/7 operation, you may have to work variable shifts and hours, including weekends and rotating off-days.
The deadline is October 31, 2026, at 12 a.m.
Senior Software Developer
Salary: $110,854 to $153,872 a year
Company: Metrolinx
Location: Toronto
Who Should Apply: You must have a degree in computer science, engineering or a related field, or equivalent experience.
It's required that you have years of experience in software development, including technical leadership roles.
Also, you need experience in:
- integration development (APIs, microservices, event-driven architecture)
- cloud platforms (Azure Container Apps, ACR, Azure Functions, Key Vault preferred) and DevOps/CI-CD pipelines
- messaging/event streaming (Azure Event Hub, Service Bus, RabbitMQ)
Proficiency in technologies such as C#, .NET, Node.js, JavaScript frameworks, SQL, Redis, SignalR, RESTful and SOAP services is required.
You must also have knowledge of security protocols (OAuth2, SAML, encryption) and API management, and familiarity with Agile methodologies.
The deadline is October 25, 2026, at 11:55 p.m.
Construction Management Field Specialist
Salary: $93,798 to $127,484 a year
Company: Metrolinx
Location: Various locations in Toronto and the GTA
Who Should Apply: A degree or diploma in architecture, engineering, construction trades, occupational health and safety or a related discipline is an asset.
You must have experience in planning, design, construction, construction supervision, construction safety, and administration of infrastructure or similar large-scale projects.
Also, experience in project management, including contracts and change variations, is required.
You need knowledge of applying legislation and regulatory requirements related to health and safety in the construction industry to implement and maintain construction safety management plans and policies, procedures and best practices.
The ability to read and understand work methodology plans, engineering drawings, risk assessments, and other construction management documents is required as well.
You must be able to obtain qualifications in Canadian Rail Operating Rules (CROR).
A valid Ontario Class G driver’s license is required to travel to various site locations in Toronto and the GTA.
The ability to work evenings, nights and weekends on a rotational basis, be on-call for emergencies, and work outdoors in all weather conditions and at all hours is required.
The deadline is November 2, 2026, at 11:55 p.m.
Senior Manager, GO Expansion Operations
Salary: $140,764 to $198,828 a year
Company: Metrolinx
Location: Toronto
Who Should Apply: You must have a degree in business administration, transportation planning or a related discipline, or an equivalent combination of education, training and experience.
A minimum of 10 years of experience in railway operations, railway corridor engineering, contract management, and customer service, preferably in the public sector and/or a unionized environment, is required.
You must also have experience in:
- applying collective agreement provisions to monitor and manage employees and contractors
- vendor management to manage the development and delivery of services and monitor service delivery and performance
The ability to negotiate and deal with contacts, present complex and/or new ideas with clarity and simplicity, liaise with all levels in the organization and on construction sites, and work effectively with specialists is required.
You need to be able to occasionally work nights and weekends to visit construction sites and attend public meetings.
The deadline is October 28, 2026, at 11:55 p.m.
Executive Assistant
Salary: $72,445 to $100,063 a year
Company: Metrolinx
Location: Toronto
Who Should Apply: You must have a high school diploma with additional vocational or technical training or an equivalent combination of education, training and experience.
Also, you need to have years of experience providing administrative and executive support services in a complex and highly confidential environment.
Proficiency in Microsoft applications like Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint is required, along with experience supporting executives through document preparation, records management, approvals, and administrative coordination.
You need communication skills to compose and edit highly confidential documents and record meeting notes, organizational skills to manage multiple deadlines, and interpersonal skills to maintain working relationships.
The deadline is October 26, 2026, at 11:59 p.m.
Customer Protection Officer/Special Constable
Salary: $46.57 an hour
Company: Metrolinx
Location: Various locations in the GTA
Who Should Apply: You must have a level of knowledge of principles and practices that's typically attained through the completion of a community college program in law enforcement, social work or a relevant field and/or equivalent experience.
A minimum of six months of experience directly involving law enforcement activities and social/community work with exposure to the justice system is required.
You need the ability to interpret and apply federal and provincial statutes and local bylaws.
Also, interpersonal skills to maintain customer service and operating protocols and decision-making skills to handle a variety of circumstances and situations.
A valid Level C First Aid CPR certificate, a Mental Health First Aid Certification, and a valid Ontario class G driver's license are required.
You must be able to work on a 24-hour rotating shift basis (including days, evenings, weekends and holidays), handle confrontational situations, and walk, stand, climb stairs and operate vehicles for extended periods of time.
The deadline is October 23, 2026, at 11:59 p.m.
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Ministers tout Indigenous policing investment
The funding will expand safety officers to all 63 First Nations in Manitoba by 2028.
While no new money was announced for Indigenous policing on Friday, federal and provincial public safety ministers held a press conference in Brandon to announce $163.5 million in past funding commitments.
Speaking at the Waywayseecappo Conference Centre, federal Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree said the combined funding from the two governments is aiding the expansion and effectiveness of Indigenous-led policing efforts.
“I’m happy to announce that our governments today, Canada and Manitoba, are jointly supporting two major investments in First Nations policing and community safety here in the province under the First Nations and Inuit Policing Program,” Anandasangaree said. “This money will strengthen its capacity to deliver First Nations-led, culturally informed policing to the 12 First Nations communities that it currently serves.”
The funding includes $121 million for the Manitoba First Nations Police Service from 2023-27 and $42.5 million to expand the Manitoba First Nation Safety Officer Program from 2025-28.
Anandasangaree said the funding will help expand the safety officer program to all 63 First Nations in Manitoba by 2028.
“First Nations safety officers play a key role in the provincial public safety strategy, complementing and at times augmenting the role of the RCMP,” Anandasangaree said. “We will also provide improved training, equipment, communication tools and more equitable resources that are distributed across communities in Manitoba.”
MFNPS Chief Jason Colon, who attended the press conference, said the funding has allowed the service to dedicate officers for in-house training and purchase equipment such as body cameras, vehicle cameras and surveillance cameras at detachments.
The funding has also enabled the MFNPS to expand into two new communities in recent years — Fisher River Cree Nation and Gambler First Nation.
The police service is currently trying to secure funding for a Crime Reduction and Enforcement Unit, which targets crimes related to gangs, drugs and firearms, he said.
“We’re hoping in the next few years to have this position, this unit funded as full-time.”
Colon said the expansion of policing capacity in rural First Nations during the past few years has benefited people outside those communities as well, enhancing overall law-enforcement presence across the province.
He also noted the MFNPS works closely with the Winnipeg Police Service and the Brandon Police Service.
“Crime doesn’t really look at borders,” he said. “People from outside our communities are transporting substances, and by us having the resources to deal with those things, it supports the surrounding communities as well.”
Manitoba Justice Minister Matt Wiebe echoed those comments.
“There’s definitely a community focus to the work that’s happening with the FNSOs, with First Nations police,” he said at the press conference. “But I want to be clear: the work that they do is not simply focused on their own communities.”
He pointed to a case where First Nation safety officers in Bunibonibee Cree Nation identified drugs that were being brought into the community, leading to a deeper investigation by RCMP, which carried out arrests across the province.
“It’s an example of how public safety in one community impacts other communities,” Wiebe said.
“I think that there’s an element here where First Nations police are doing work that is complementing and adding to the work that’s happening with the RCMP and at the community level with the FNSO.”
Copyright 2026, Brandon Sun. All rights reserved.
Connor McDowell, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Brandon Sun.
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Cette page TikTok partage des clips de Cornemuse et les commentaires sont juste hilarants
Quand tu regardes ça avec des yeux d’adultes... 😬
Si tu étais enfant à la fin des années 1990, tu te rappelles surement de l'émission Cornemuse, qui jouait sur les ondes de Télé-Québec. Le personnage principal, Cornemuse, était une vétérinaire qui prenait soin de quatre enfants de quatre ans, soit Tibor le tigre, Rafi la ratonne, Kounga la kangourou et Bagou le singe.
Depuis le 3 mars dernier, le compte bon vieux temps sur TikTok partage des clips de l'émission jeunesse et cumule pas moins de 220 700 mentions « j'aime » ainsi que plus de 11 000 followers au moment d'écrire ces lignes. Ceux et celles qui écoutaient la série étant enfants réalisent plusieurs choses en la réécoutant à l'âge adulte et leurs commentaires sont juste hilarants.
Pour les deux premières vidéos mises en ligne, la personne responsable de la page TikTok a rassemblé quelques clips assez malaisants de l'émission, dont Rafi qui dit «gourne» au lieu de «gourde», Kounga qui traite Rafi de stupide, car celle-ci a construit une souris verte au lieu de blanche avec de la pâte à modelée ou encore Bagou qui regarde des photos de famille assez étranges.
Des internautes avaient même du mal à croire que c'était une émission qui leur plaisait à l'époque.
«OMG, c'était tellement malaisant, comment j'ai fait pour écouter ça, en [plus] c'était mon émission préf [plus] jeune. »
« Cornemuse c'était bizarre tout court. »
« J'me rappelais pas que c'était bad [de même] WTF.»
Parmi les dizaine de vidéos, le comportement de la ratonne Rafi fait particulièrement réagir, tandis que plusieurs disent qu'elle est toujours fâchée et en fait toujours des tonnes pour rien.
«Est* que Rafi était toujours fâchée bro. »
« Rafi était tellement drama queen jesus. »
« Rafi était toujours dans les moments cringes lmfao. »
Si l'envie te prend de réécouter les épisodes toi aussi, sache que quelques-unes des émissions sont sur YouTube. Connais-tu encore toutes les paroles de la chanson du générique «Toc, Toc, Toc. Bloc à bloc »? Ça reste à confirmer, mais tu pourras certainement voir si toi aussi, tu réagis différemment maintenant que tu regardes le tout avec tes yeux d'adulte.