A majority of Mississauga residents support bringing subway service to downtown, but a new survey suggests there is far less agreement over whether it should take priority over improved GO service.
A survey of 1,000 Mississauga residents found 65 per cent support extending subway service to downtown Mississauga near Square One, while 20 per cent oppose the idea and 15 per cent are unsure.
But when residents were asked to choose between a subway extension and all-day, two-way GO train service on the Milton line, the result was almost evenly divided.
Forty-five per cent picked the subway as the better transit investment, while 44 per cent chose expanded Milton GO service. Another 11 per cent were unsure.
The survey was conducted by Liaison Strategies between Oct. 2 and Oct. 4, shortly after the subway proposal was raised during the Mississauga mayoral campaign.
The poll found an even bigger gap between support for the subway and confidence that it will actually be built.
Only 19 per cent of respondents said they were very or somewhat confident a subway extension would eventually be constructed. Four per cent were very confident and 15 per cent somewhat confident.
Meanwhile, 61 per cent said they were either not very or not at all confident the project would be built, while 20 per cent were unsure.
Confidence was somewhat higher when residents were asked about all-day, two-way Milton GO service.
Last 30 Days: 57,320 Votes
All Time: 1,563,589 Votes
1898 VOTES
Who will you vote for as mayor of Toronto?
Thirty-eight per cent said they were very or somewhat confident that service would be introduced, compared with 43 per cent who were not very or not at all confident. Nineteen per cent were unsure.
The findings suggest that support for a transit project and belief that the project will actually happen are two very different things for Mississauga residents.
The subway proposal would extend Toronto’s Line 2 west from its current terminus at Kipling into Mississauga, with service reaching the downtown area near Square One.
The idea has been raised as a way of providing a direct rapid-transit connection between Mississauga and Toronto, but the project is not currently an approved subway construction project.
Overall, however, the city was essentially divided down the middle when asked to choose between the two projects.
The survey was based on a random sample of 1,000 Mississauga residents reached through landline and cellular telephone networks using interactive voice response technology.
The results were weighted to match targets based on the 2021 Census. Liaison reports a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, for the full sample. The margin of error is higher for smaller groups within the survey.
The survey was released Oct. 7.
For Mississauga residents, the results show broad support for a subway extension, but no clear consensus that it should come ahead of improved GO service and considerably less certainty that either major transit expansion will actually happen.
INsauga’s Editorial Standards and Policies
Stay in the know.
Subscribe now to receive our daily email of today’s top stories in your city!