JANICE LA CHAPELLE, 66
Retired IT specialist
YEARS ON BOOTH AVENUE: 28
In 2019, the province announced that the Ontario Line would be coming through South Riverdale. Generally, I’m supportive of new public transit— Toronto urgently needs solutions to the overcrowding on the TTC. Then I learned that construction would take place in the existing GO train corridor that cuts through my immediate area, 12 metres from my house.
I was concerned about the project from the beginning. I’ve been on disability since 2010 because of severe problems tied to my vision and balance. I spend most of my time at home with my adult son, Liam, and I was worried about how incessant construction, noise and street closures would impact our lives. Metrolinx was saying the Ontario Line would be completed by 2027, but we knew from the disastrous delays with the Eglinton Crosstown LRT that the disruptions could last a lot longer than eight years. Still, I wanted the project to happen for the greater good.
Then, in the summer of 2020, Metrolinx brought in massive excavators—more than three storeys high—to extract soil samples. Once that was done, rats started appearing in my house and in those around me. The excavators had sent the rats scurrying, and they’d chewed through the concrete in my basement. I called an exterminator, who sprayed pesticide and set traps. He has been coming every three months since then; I’ve probably spent close to $2,000.
The people at Metrolinx sent me a flyer letting me know that my home was located in a noise and vibration zone and that they would be monitoring to make sure the levels didn’t exceed what was considered safe. I’m not sure what qualifies as an acceptable level—no one was willing to explain it to me.
In the spring of 2021, things turned from bad to worse: I found out I had oral cancer. Sections of my cheekbone and upper jaw were removed, and I spent months undergoing chemotherapy and radiation. My doctors told me that the most crucial part of my recovery would be getting adequate rest. That became next to impossible once construction started in earnest—it was loud enough to make my ears ring. The vibrations shook the entire house.
My home, like many others in the neighbourhood, is more than a century old. I bought it in 1996 and lived there for two decades without any problems. The back part of my house is an addition built in the 1950s, and it doesn’t have the same sturdy foundation as the original structure. My ground floor has begun to slant toward the backyard—it seems like constructionrelated vibrations are causing my home to slide off its moorings.
I’m not the only homeowner on my street with concerns. One neighbour found a long and very visible crack in the concrete on the side of her house. Another discovered that her stove had been bent out of shape from the shaking, and one of her pipes even burst. In my home, cracks were emerging in the kitchen ceiling and on the second floor, in Liam’s bedroom. I was terrified that the ceiling would cave in on him.
Last fall, the pace of construction picked up noticeably. Metrolinx projects are exempt from the municipal noise bylaw, and work was being done almost around the clock.
It wasn’t unusual for me to be snapped out of my fitful sleep by workers yelling at each other across the construction site. I like to think of myself as a laid-back and friendly person, but one particularly rough night last year, I rushed out my front door and screamed at the workers to stay quiet or use walkie-talkies. The workers are generally nice to me, but they don’t seem to care much about the disruptions they’re causing. One time, their drilling work was so loud that I couldn’t concentrate on anything. I asked when it was going to stop. One of them just laughed and said, “Sit on the couch—you’ll get a good massage.”
Metrolinx has a customer service number for residents to call in the middle of the night if construction gets too loud or intense. I’ve called numerous times. Usually, nobody answers. When someone does, they take down my name and address and say that they’ll be in touch. More often than not, nobody calls back.
One weekend a couple of months ago, work started on Friday evening and continued pretty much non-stop until Monday morning. I found myself gazing up at the sky, hoping for rain that would stop the construction. But even that would have been a mixed blessing—when there’s a downpour, workers bring in enormous, noisy trucks to pump out the water.
I’ve sent Metrolinx emails describing the structural damage to my home. I typically receive generic responses saying someone will investigate. This past June, I wrote to them that the slant in my floor had gotten so bad that my washing machine was no longer level enough to work. They offered to send some shockabsorbing mats.
The projected completion date for the Ontario Line has now been pushed back from 2027 to 2031. It’s difficult to fathom enduring another seven years of this. I’ve contemplated selling my home, but I don’t want to leave this neighbourhood. I don’t have much family, and my neighbours have been a tremendous support. During my cancer treatment, they would help out by bringing me food or keeping me company. If I moved, I’d be alone, so I’m staying put. I’ve started to notice a lot more For Sale signs, though. I don’t blame anyone for wanting to move—many of us are seniors who rely on our pensions, and it’s unrealistic to expect us to pay for damage caused by construction.
I had envisioned spending my 60s peacefully tending my garden. Instead, I’m dealing with excavators, bulldozers, dust and rats, all while living in a home that no longer feels safe. The cracks in the walls are growing, and my ground floor has sagged so much that it’s leaning on the vents of my furnace in the basement. It could eventually put pressure on my gas lines. Due to persistent lack of sleep, I almost always feel tired, weak and irritable. I worry that the stress of all this will slow down my recovery.
I’m incredibly frustrated by Metrolinx’s handling of the situation. Getting a straight answer from them on project completion dates or safety measures is a real challenge. There have been a few rare exceptions: Metrolinx did, for instance, address my complaints about workers yelling through the night. But there’s no consistency.
I’m now organizing my neighbours to approach Metrolinx collectively. We want the agency to compensate homeowners for physical damage to their properties, send structural engineers to assess the problems and ensure that future construction won’t make things worse. Metrolinx has said that they are working on this, but based on my experience so far, I’m skeptical. We also want information about safe vibration levels and access to meters so we can track the levels ourselves.
My hope is that collective pressure will force Metrolinx to address our grievances. Currently, my only goal is for us to have a genuine conversation, but if these problems persist, I would consider pursuing legal action. We need clarity and transparency— and peace of mind.