Building transit for the future isn’t always about trains, buses, and new stations.

Those are important ingredients, but a true recipe for transit success includes a healthy environment too.

That’s why Metrolinx recently announced their partnership with Parks Canada and Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) to plant over 12,000 trees and shrubs at Rouge National Urban Park in preparation for the GO Expansion program. 

Now as fall pushes into winter, Metrolinx continues to work with conservation authorities to plant trees and shrubs in a number of municipalities such as Burlington, Markham, and Etobicoke.

In the last few weeks Metrolinx funded the planting of 546 trees and 1,000 shrubs off Walkers Line in Burlington by Conservation Halton. This priority planting area is part of Halton Region’s Natural Heritage System in the Bronte Creek watershed, and is also located in the Greenbelt. 

Conservation teams have planted more than 1,500 native trees and shrubs in the Bronte Creek watershed this fall.(Metrolinx photo)

Over the past few weeks, Metrolinx also funded the planting of 2,037 trees and 4,128 shrubs in Etobicoke and Markham, which was carried out by TRCA.They also got a helping hand with the planting efforts at the Sherway Trail in Etobicoke from local Girl Guides and community residents.

Officials with the provincial transit agency say it relies heavily on the expertise of conservation authorities when it comes to selecting the most suitable habitats and ensuring that work is planned and performed with long-term sustainability goals in mind.

Metrolinx says all of this work is to ensure the transit agency’s efforts to replace trees removed during construction reaches above and beyond all regulatory requirements. 

While transit building continues to gain steam across the region, Metrolinx says the tree planting doesn’t stop here either. More tree and shrub planting initiatives are expected to be announced next spring.