Our region, our move: CivicAction to host April 17 forum

TORONTO, April 3, 2013 /CNW/ - In two weeks, CivicAction will kick off the next phase of its Your32 regional transportation campaign at a gathering of 300 Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area business, government, and community leaders.

"With Metrolinx's Investment Strategy being tabled on May 27 and their newly released shortlist of proposed investment tools, we have a historic window of opportunity to solve our growing gridlock crisis," said Mitzie Hunter, Chief Executive Officer of CivicAction. "We've seen that civic leaders and the public care deeply about this issue and it's time to chart the course forward."

Delegates attending the CivicAction Forum: Our Region, Our Move will deliver feedback to Metrolinx and to governments on what it will take to earn the public's trust and maximize the impact and benefits of transportation expansion in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area.

"Our transportation system has been chronically underfunded for decades, and by 2013 there will be three million more people living in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area along with an additional 1.5 million cars on the road," said John Tory, Chair of CivicAction. "Today's congestion affects our health and our quality of life. Through our campaign, people have told us that traffic congestion keeps them from spending time with loved ones and from taking better care of themselves."

The Forum will open with an address by Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne. Speakers and moderators represent leading voices in business, government, academia and the not-for-profit sector. They include:

• His Worship John Henry, Mayor, City of Oshawa
• Ms. Jennifer Keesmaat, Chief Planner, City of Toronto
• Mr. J. Robert S. Prichard, Chair, Torys LLP and Chair, Metrolinx

For the agenda and the list of speakers and moderators, visit www.civicaction.ca/forum.

About CivicAction

For the past 10 years, the Greater Toronto CivicAction Alliance (CivicAction) has brought together senior executives and rising leaders from all sectors to tackle some of our region's toughest social, economic and environmental challenges. CivicAction sets a non-partisan agenda, builds strategic partnerships with organizations, and launches campaigns, programs and organizations that transform our region. For more information, visit: www.civicaction.ca, @CivicActionGTA

About CivicAction's Your32 campaign

CivicAction is asking people across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) what they would do with an extra 32 minutes in their day. That's the difference between the average commute time if Metrolinx's regional transportation plan The Big Move is funded and built over the next 25 years (77 min) and if no comprehensive system is put in place (109 min). (Source: Metrolinx.)

CivicAction is taking this conversation to the streets, subways, and buses to inspire action that will deliver the transportation network we so urgently need. We aim to build measurable public and decision-maker appreciation for the value that a better system will bring, and the need for sustainable ways to pay for it. For more information, visit www.your32.com

About the CivicAction Forum: Our Region, Our Move

At the CivicAction Forum: Our Region, Our Move on April 17, three hundred recognized business, labour, government, and community leaders will make their move to support better transportation for the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA). Throughout the day, they will learn from other jurisdictions, examine the benefits of and changes to improved transportation, and identify tangible paths towards significant infrastructure investment to support our region's growth and prosperity for generations to come. For more information, visit www.civicaction.ca/forum

CivicAction Forum sponsors include the Government of Ontario, Manulife Financial, OLG, RBC, BMO Financial Group, Metrolinx, TD, Boston Consulting Group, Carpenters' Union, City of Toronto, Daniels Corporation, Toronto Port Authority, Residential and Civil Construction Alliance of Ontario (RCCAO), Rogers, Ontario Power Generation, Metcalf, MTS Allstream, and Toronto Hydro.

SOURCE: CivicAction