Newcomers across GTA not a priority in transit planning

For the increasing number of immigrants settling in Toronto's suburbs, public transit is a lifeline, connecting them to jobs, education and a host of necessary services.

Yet research shows that while newcomers often depend more heavily on transit than longer term Canadians, those living in outlying communities face more challenges travelling around their communities.

The gaps are especially visible in Brampton, where the city's own 2025 study shows an overlap between immigrant-rich neighbourhoods and poor public transportation to access jobs, health care and other essential services.

Studies and surveys in Toronto and Mississauga point to similar difficulties, raising questions about whether transit networks are keeping pace with the needs of the new communities they serve.

As Brampton, Mississauga and Toronto prepare to elect their next municipal councils, the question is not simply the funding of public transit systems, but whether they serve the people who most rely on buses and trains to get around.

Newcomers are especially reliant on public transit.

According to 2021 census data for the Toronto metropolitan area, 28.5 per cent of immigrants who obtained permanent residency between 2016 and 2021 commuted by public transit, compared with 11.6 per cent of non-immigrants.

Among temporary residents such as international students and temporary foreign workers, the figure was even higher, at 39.6 per cent.

Steven Farber, a professor at the University of Toronto who studies transportation equity, said recent immigrants use public transit at higher rates than Canadian-born residents, a pattern reflected in both census commuting data and the Transportation Tomorrow Survey . [caption id="attachment_43264" align="alignleft" width="1738"] Public transit commuting in the Toronto metropolitan area by immigration status, 2021.

Source: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census.

Chart prepared by Professor Steven Farber, University of Toronto.[/caption] A 2024 national survey by Mobilizing Justice found that 45 per cent of recent immigrants had turned down job opportunities because of transportation difficulties, compared with 26 per cent of Canadian-born respondents.

Brampton: Where disadvantage and poor access overlap Sara Jose, an IT professional who works in downtown Toronto, arrived from India in 2023 and lived in Brampton until last November.

Without a driver's licence, she initially relied on public transit to get to work, taking a bus from her home to the Brampton Innovation District GO station before boarding a train to downtown Toronto.

Although her family owns a car and she has since obtained her driver’s licence, Jose said she still prefers public transit because it is cheaper and saves her the trouble of finding parking.