Metrolinx Gives the Media Identical Cookie-Cutter Non-Responses to Two Successive AODA Alliance Videos that Show Different Inexcusable Disability Barriers

Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance Update

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Metrolinx Gives the Media Identical Cookie-Cutter Non-Responses to Two Successive AODA Alliance Videos that Show Different Inexcusable Disability Barriers

July 27, 2026

SUMMARY

In the face of even more great media coverage (set out below) of the AODA Alliance’s “Stupidest Ramp in the World” video released last week, Metrolinx has not explained why there is no elevator at the newly renovated Finch West station for transit riders to go up one floor from the Finch West Line 6 part of the station to the Yonge University Spadina Line 1 Instead, they must try to get up the stupidest ramp in the world that is longer than a 747 jumbo jet. The AODA Alliance wrote Metrolinx for an explanation on July 21, 2026 but has gotten no answer.

Instead, Metrolinx gave an identical standard-form non-response to the media. It does not address or justify the specific barrier raised with them. Metrolinx just punches up a pre-written evasive text and sends it to reporters.

Its responses to the AODA Alliance’s June 5, 2026 video about messed-up tactile floor wayfinding guides in Line 5 stations for blind transit riders is the very same as its response to the AODA Alliance’s July 22, 2022 video about the stupidest ramp in the world at the Finch West station on Line 6. AODA Alliance Chair David Lepofsky has had the full text of the two identical responses read to him by reporters. The resulting news articles extract some quotes from these identical responses. Can this be an amazing coincidence?

Here are illustrations of this:

A June 8, 2026 CTV news report on the Line 5 wayfinding mess includes:

“In a statement, the agency said in part that it is “dedicated to building a transit system that is safe, accessible, and inclusive for all customers.”

“Through public consultation with people with disabilities, Metrolinx works to ensure transit infrastructure and services meet the needs of the broadest range of users possible. We are continually looking for opportunities to enhance accessibility across the network and improve the customer experience,” Metrolinx said.”

A June 10, 2026 Toronto Star article on the Line 5 debacle included:

“In a statement, Metrolinx defended its design process, saying it uses “public consultations with people with disability” to ensure infrastructure and service meets “the needs of the broadest range of users possible.”

The provincial transit agency added that it is working alongside the TTC to ensure commuters have “safe, convenient, and accessible access” across all Line 5 stations.”

A July 20, 2026 CBC news report on the Line 6 stupidest ramp in the world included:

“Lyndsay Miller, spokesperson for Metrolinx, said it remains dedicated to building a “safe, accessible, and inclusive” transit system.

“We recognize the importance of ongoing feedback and continuous improvement. Metrolinx is pursuing user testing with individuals representing a range of disabilities to better understand customer experiences,” she said in an emailed statement Monday.

Miller said Metrolinx consulted with the TTC and its advisory committee on accessible transit on the design of the connection between Line 6 and Line 1.”

A July 21, 2026 CP24 news report included:

“In response to the AODA, Metrolinx said the design of the station was done in consultation with the TTC and the TTC’s advisory committee on accessible transit.

“Metrolinx is dedicated to building a transit system that is safe, accessible, and inclusive for all customers,” a spokesperson for Metrolinx said in an email to CP24.

A July 22, 2026 Toronto Life article, set out below, included:

“A Metrolinx spokesperson responded to an inquiry from CBC, saying, “We recognize the importance of ongoing feedback and continuous improvement. Metrolinx is pursuing user testing with individuals representing a range of disabilities to better understand customer experiences.””

A July 24, 2026 City News story, set out below, included:

“CityNews contacted staff with Metrolinx, the provincial organization that oversaw the private-sector construction of the Finch West LRT, to ask for an interview about the accessibility issues raised, but no one was made available. However, officials said in a statement that Metrolinx is committed to building a system that is “safe, accessible, and inclusive for all customers.”

“Metrolinx consulted with the TTC and the TTC’s Advisory Committee on Accessible Transit on the design of the connection between Line 1 and Line 6,” the statement said.

“We recognize the importance of ongoing feedback and continuous improvement, and we are undertaking testing with individuals with a wide range of disabilities to better understand customer experiences.”

“We continue to work closely with the TTC to ensure customers continue to have safe, convenient, and accessible access at all of the Line 5 and 6 stations.””

Why on earth is Metrolinx only now pursuing user testing with individuals representing a range of disabilities to better understand customer experiences? Didn’t Metrolinx do this over the several months after Lines 5 and 6 construction finished, and before they were opened to the public? How much user testing is needed to figure out that installing a 261-foot ramp at the Finch West station was absurd?

MORE DETAILS

Toronto Life Magazine July 22, 2026

Originally posted at https://torontolife.com/city/disability-advocates-are-calling-on-metrolinx-to-improve-accessibility-at-finch-west-station/#google_vignette

Disability advocates are calling on Metrolinx to improve accessibility at Finch West station

“Why did Metrolinx not include an elevator?” the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance asked in a letter to president and CEO Michael Lindsay

BY Carly Lewis

The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance is bringing attention to Toronto’s Finch West station, which the group’s chair, David Lepofsky, said in a recent video does not allow passengers who use wheelchairs to navigate the space with ease.

“Let me show you the stupidest accessibility ramp in the world,” Lepofsky said, before explaining the station’s accessibility limitations.

“Metrolinx properly included an elevator at the Cedarvale station to get up from Line 5 to Line 1, but inexplicably and inexcusably chose not to do the same at Finch West to get from Line 6 to Line 1,” a statement published by the advocacy organization said.

The statement continued, offering possible remedies. “In addition to fixing this accessibility blunder, the AODA Alliance is calling for two solutions to the recurring accessibility failures in new public infrastructure. First, it calls on Metrolinx to engage an independent accessibility audit of Lines 5 and 6, with its report and recommendations to be made public. Second, the AODA Alliance has pressed the Ford government since taking office to strengthen Ontario’s weak accessibility laws for the built environment, such as the outdated Ontario Building Code.”

It noted that people with chronic fatigue or chronic pain, as well as parents pushing strollers, would also benefit from an elevator.

A Metrolinx spokesperson responded to an inquiry from CBC, saying, “We recognize the importance of ongoing feedback and continuous improvement. Metrolinx is pursuing user testing with individuals representing a range of disabilities to better understand customer experiences.”

Carly Lewis is a journalist whose work has appeared in the New York Times and the New York Times Magazine, Vanity Fair, Wired, Interview Magazine, Pitchfork, Elle, and Maclean’s, where she is a contributing editor. Her work has been recognized by the National Magazine A ards and the Digital Publishing Awards. She reports on city life, culture—including what people do online —politics, art and crime. She received the Dave Greber Freelance Writers Award for “The Murder of Ashley Wadsworth,” an investigative feature about a Canadian teenager who was killed by a man she met on social media, published by Maclean’s.

City News July 24, 2026

Originally posted at https://toronto.citynews.ca/2026/07/24/finch-west-station-ramp-accessibility-metrolinx-ttc/

‘Stupidest’ Finch West station ramp underscores need for better transit accessibility design: advocates

Advocates frustrated over ‘stupidest’ ramp at Finch West station

The AODA Alliance and accessibility advocates are frustrated with Metrolinx for what they call the “stupidest” ramp inside Finch West station in lieu of an elevator directly connecting Lines 1 and 6. Nick Westoll reports.

By Nick Westoll

The Finch West LRT has been open for several months now, but accessibility advocates say they’re frustrated with Metrolinx over the installation of a massive ramp and the omission of an elevator to connect Lines 1 and 6 directly.

“We call this the stupidest ramp in the world because it requires people with disabilities to push their wheelchair up a ramp that’s longer than a 747 jumbo jet,” David Lepofsky, chair of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Committee and host of the Disability Rights and Wrongs: The David Lepodcast podcast, said.

Lepofsky, who is blind, recently visited the sole direct indoor connection between the TTC Finch West subway station and the Line 6 Finch West station. In a video posted on Monday that has since garnered around 12,000 views, he showed the options riders must use to transfer between the lines: A set of stairs with 23 steps or a three-level ramp that totals approximately 260 feet.

In an interview, he said the ramp doesn’t have the optimal turning radius people with power wheelchairs and scooters need to make the turns without awkward manoeuvres. Lepofsky also said it’s an unusual way for people to go up or down a floor inside a building.

“It’s not that they didn’t know you need an elevator because they have elevators to get from the Line 1 platform to the street, an elevator to get from the Line 6 platform to the street,” he told CityNews.

“It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out they needed an elevator here. They chose not to do it, and they owe us people with disabilities and the public an explanation as to why.”

CityNews met Darren Parberry, an accessibility advocate and host of the YouTube channel Transit History by Mobility Scooter, at Finch West station to follow him as he attempted to navigate the massive ramp for the first time.

“Are you serious? I don’t know whether I can do it or not,” Parberry said after seeing it in person.

As he went down the ramp, he had to stop at each ramp landing to reverse and accelerate at least once to navigate the turns. Parberry pointed out that small benches installed at each ramp landing created obstructions.

“Someone dropped the ball plain and simple,” he said after reaching the end, calling it frustrating.

“It’s beyond stupidity… It’s bordering on arrogance.”

Parberry also pointed out other accessibility design issues at the station. He said a large, tiled area blocked off after what appeared to be flooding creates a slip hazard. Parberry said tactile guidance leading to multiple elevators wasn’t installed either.

CityNews contacted staff with Metrolinx, the provincial organization that oversaw the private-sector construction of the Finch West LRT, to ask for an interview about the accessibility issues raised, but no one was made available. However, officials said in a statement that Metrolinx is committed to building a system that is “safe, accessible, and inclusive for all customers.”

“Metrolinx consulted with the TTC and the TTC’s Advisory Committee on Accessible Transit on the design of the connection between Line 1 and Line 6,” the statement said.

“We continue to work closely with the TTC to ensure customers continue to have safe, convenient, and accessible access at all of the Line 5 and 6 stations.”

Lepofsky said he wrote to Metrolinx about the issue, but as of Thursday afternoon, he hadn’t heard back from anyone. With concerns about the installation of transit buildings with longer ramps front of mind, the construction of a new bus terminal and entrance at Islington subway station is also being watched. Public renderings showed a large descent to the existing subway concourse made up of multiple ramps.

CityNews contacted the TTC to ask about the project, which has been delayed and is set to open in 2027 amid a push to accelerate construction.

“The west entrance ramp was designed with accessibility in mind. It is broken into shorter segments with level landings at the middle and at the ends of each segment, allowing customers to rest or stop as needed along the way,” a spokesperson said in a statement.

“Consistent with all Easier Access projects, the Islington station designs were presented for review to the design review subcommittee of the Advisory Committee on Accessible Transit. … The Subcommittee’s comments on the Islington designs were addressed and incorporated into the final design where feasible.”

The statement noted a “direct street-to-platform elevator at the west entrance would require building over the existing station structure,” which conflicts with road and property development plans.

Meanwhile, Parberry and Lepofsky said they want to see the situation addressed in a more meaningful way going forward.

“There are lots of able-bodied people, and they figure, ‘Don’t worry, it’s just an inconvenience.’ No, it’s more than an inconvenience; It’s more of a major barrier,” Parberry said.

“We’re calling for this to be fixed,” Lepofsky said, referring to the Ford government.

“We’ve called on Metrolinx to commission an independent accessibility audit of the new Line 5 and the new Line 6. Let’s get an independent expert in to confirm where the barriers are and what needs to be done to fix it.”

A massive ramp and stairs at the Finch West LRT station connects Lines 1 and 6. Accessibility advocates say they’re frustrated with Metrolinx for not includingan elevator. CITYNEWS / Nick Westoll

Now Magazine July 24, 2026

Originally posted at: https://nowtoronto.com/news/metrolinx-finch-west-lrt-ramp-stupid-reactions/

‘The stupidest ramp’: Accessibility group calls out Metrolinx over Finch West Station design

The AODA Alliance says the nearly 80-metre ramp connecting the Finch West LRT and TTC Line 1 is an unnecessary barrier for riders with disabilities and is calling on Metrolinx to install an elevator.

The AODA Alliance is criticizing Metrolinx for installing a nearly 80-metre accessibility ramp instead of an elevator at Finch West Station.

Chair David Lepofsky says the three-section ramp is difficult for many riders with disabilities, seniors and people using strollers.

The group is questioning why Finch West Station lacks an elevator while Cedarvale Station includes one for accessible transfers.

The organization has requested a meeting with Metrolinx and is seeking information about the accessibility advice used during the station’s design.

Accessibility advocates are criticizing Metrolinx after the transit agency installed a lengthy accessibility ramp, instead of an elevator, between the newly opened Finch West LRT and TTC Line 1 at Finch West Station.

The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance (AODA Alliance) says the design creates an unnecessary barrier for people with disabilities and is urging Metrolinx to install an elevator to provide a more practical and equitable connection between the two transit lines.

Earlier this week, the advocacy group posted a video on social media describing the ramp as “the stupidest ramp in the world” while highlighting the challenges it says riders face when transferring between the Finch West LRT and the subway.

Advocates question station design

In the video, AODA Alliance Chair David Lepofsky says the only accessible route between the two lines is an approximately 80-metre (261-foot) ramp made up of three separate sections connected by landings.

“It goes up, and then there’s a landing. Then you switch to the second part, and then there’s a landing, and then the third part,” Lepofsky says in the video.

By comparison, he says the staircase between the two levels consists of about 23 steps.

“I’ve never seen a ramp in a building that expects you to go up an entire floor using a ramp,” he said.

“I’m sure it’s good if you’re a Paralympian or a heavy-duty weightlifter, but for many people with disabilities, elderly people, people using strollers, people who just can’t handle stairs, an 80-metre ramp is just plain absurd.”

Lepofsky said he walked the ramp at a steady pace in about one minute and 45 seconds, adding that the journey would likely take longer for someone using a wheelchair or other mobility device.

The advocacy group argues that an elevator is required to travel between different levels of a transit station.

Comparison to Cedarvale Station

The AODA Alliance says the design is especially difficult to understand given that Cedarvale Station, another newly built interchange connecting Line 1 and the recently opened Line 5 Eglinton, includes an elevator for accessible transfers.

“They don’t expect you to have to go up a ramp like this, so why on earth did they do that at this new station? It makes no sense,” Lepofsky said.

Calls for answers from Metrolinx

In a Facebook post, the organization shared an email Lepofsky sent to Metrolinx CEO Michael Lindsay requesting a meeting with those involved in designing Finch West Station.

“Can we hear the accessibility advice Metrolinx received on whether a ramp but no elevator would be sufficient, and on how the ramp was designed? It would also be very helpful to you and us if we can obtain the written accessibility advice Metrolinx received from any source,” Lepofsky wrote.

The group is also asking Metrolinx to explain why an elevator was not included in the station’s design and whether the decision could be revisited.

The latest criticism is not the first time the AODA Alliance has raised concerns about Metrolinx projects.

The organization said it met with the transit agency in June to discuss wayfinding features on Line 5 Eglinton, including concerns about navigation for blind and low-vision riders.

Metrolinx has not yet publicly responded to the group’s latest concerns.

NOW Staff

@nowtoronto