![\"People](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/eglinton-lrt-sunday-1024x576.jpg\")
People ride the Eglinton Crosstown LRT on its first day of service in Toronto on Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS\/Laura Proctor<\/p>\nLittle Jamaica is located along a stretch of Eglinton Avenue West between Keele Street and Allen Road. It is a cultural and historical staple in the city, but businesses in the community have been significantly impacted by Eglinton Crosstown LRT construction.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Many store owners are hoping to see more foot traffic now that Line 5 is up and running, but that isn\u2019t the case for Claude Thompson, the owner of Natural Flavas juice bar at 1657 Eglinton Avenue West. He closed his brick-and-mortar store for good on Saturday, just two years after opening.<\/p>\n
\u201cYea we\u2019re doing it, we thought the experience would have been different,\u201d said Thompson. \u201cThe numbers are not enough to support a business like this, and given the cost of business today, it makes it a little difficult.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thompson said he moved into the Eglinton Avenue West storefront in 2024 because he believed Line 5 would have been opened by then.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith the constant delays, we kept going, we kept going,\u201d Thompson said. \u201cWe heard it was going to open in July, we said okay let\u2019s hold out and see the result \u2026The irony is, now that it\u2019s open, we are closing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe storm was too heavy for us, it\u2019s a bit sad,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
His daughter, Gabrielle, echoed those statements.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just think that the foot traffic was necessarily not there from the beginning since the construction started,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The Thompsons don\u2019t entirely blame the situation on the Eglinton LRT construction, noting that \u201cthe character of the neighbourhood has changed significantly\u201d in recent years.<\/p>\n
Other business owners in the area like Dhanushka Subeappu Kankanamalage of Kingpin Wings at 1708 Eglinton Avenue West say they are holding out hope that there will be a turn around.<\/p>\n
\u201cRight after Line 5 opened, I see a difference, but it will take some time I think,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n
Time is something many businesses located near Oakwood station hope they have. Alicia Bailey, founder of Everbl\u00fcm Essentials, set up a pop up over the weekend inside a recently opened Souperlicious restaurant.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She said it\u2019s been disheartening to see shops in the community shut down.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI remember coming up to Little Jamaica with my parents as a child and yeah it\u2019s just sad to see over the years that the construction stopped a lot of businesses,\u201d Bailey said.<\/p>\n
People ride the Eglinton Crosstown LRT on its first day of service in Toronto on Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS\/Laura Proctor<\/p>\n
Since the start of the Eglinton crosstown construction began in 2011, over 140 stores have shut down for good, according to a 2022 report from the City of Toronto\u2019s economic and community development committee.<\/p>\n
Analysts also found that 48 of the 85 Black-owned businesses in Little Jamaica have since shut down.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs you\u2019ve seen, there are businesses still closing,\u201d Jason McDonald, chair of the Little Jamaica BIA told CityNews. \u201cThe foot traffic has not increased, I\u2019m not saying it won\u2019t in the future, however right now, Little Jamaica is in a state of emergency, and we need support from all levels of the government.\u201d<\/p>\n
McDonald is also the owner of Casual Beauty Salon at 1572 Eglinton Avenue West, a business that has been in the Little Jamaica neighbourhood for over 25 years.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He said over 300 small businesses have closed during his time there, and fears more will soon suffer the same fate without any intervention.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need inquiries. We need compensation immediately and when I say compensation, I\u2019m not talking about for the planters or the streetscape, or for the lights, business owners actually getting direct cheques from the government,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n
Ford rules out public inquiry on LRT delays<\/p>\n
As for a public inquiry on the Eglinton crosstown LRT, Premier Doug Ford ruled that out<\/a> earlier this month.<\/p>\n \u201cMr. Ford is free to have his opinions, he was elected premier, however, we disagree on this one,\u201d McDonald said.<\/p>\n He added that the Little Jamaica BIA held its first town hall meeting last Thursday, with more meetings expected in the coming weeks as community members contemplate how to revive the business landscape of the neighbourhood.<\/p>\n