Why Transit-Oriented Development Can’t Wait: A Conversation with Lorraine Huinink

Lorraine Huinink has worked across all levels of government—from Canadian municipalities to the Government of Bermuda—and held senior roles in transit infrastructure, planning and development. In our latest Q&A, Lorraine discusses the opportunities, roadblocks, and future of transit-oriented development (TOD) in Ontario.

You’ve worked in multiple tiers of government, including internationally. How has that shaped your approach to TOD?

I’ve been really fortunate to work across the private sector, government, and the nonprofit space, including my role with Habitat for Humanity GTA. That range of experience has given me a deep understanding of where stakeholders are coming from. TOD is a choreography—it demands that you understand the appetite and limits of each player, from government to developers to communities. In Durham Region, that meant understanding the risks the municipality faced in advancing the Bowmanville GO line when the province wasn’t funding station infrastructure at all. We had to be creative and realistic.

That creativity led to new legislation, correct?

Yes. I helped develop a land value capture strategy that would allow Durham to build four new GO stations and recover the cost over time. That led to the GO Station Funding Act, which lets the Region collect a station fee from development. It was a bold move—subject to fiscal assessment, Regional Council had to agree to front the infrastructure costs. But with support from NBLC and StrategyCorp, and political leadership that understood the stakes, we made it happen.

Why is TOD getting so much attention now?

There’s a $61 billion capital spend on transit in Ontario over the next decade. So yes, part of the answer is “follow the money.” But more importantly, it’s just good planning. Intensifying around rapid transit means increased ridership, better use of existing infrastructure, and smarter public investment. There’s only one taxpayer, and every dollar spent—whether on transit or housing—needs to deliver value. Planners understand that TOD is about making the most of our shared investments.

What’s an example of a promising TOD initiative you’ve seen recently?

The Woodbine GO station is a standout. When I was at Metrolinx, I helped negotiate the initial letter of intent with Woodbine Entertainment Group. Back then, the idea of the private sector funding a GO station was novel. Now the province is co-funding it—an important signal that it recognizes the structural economic shifts we’re facing. The trains already run past that site. It’s logical and efficient to build there. And younger people especially understand the value of living near transit without owning a car. The economics of living near transit just make .

Beyond financing, what barriers still stand in the way of TOD?

Integration and coordination. Right now, Toronto has three subway lines under construction, multiple LRTs, GO Expansion and private sector development. The city is effectively a construction zone, and that imposes real barriers for municipalities trying to maintain quality of life—closing streets for festivals, ensuring mobility, and so on.

There’s also a sequencing challenge. Developers need certainty. If a subway station box is being built today, but a tower overtop won’t be feasible for 10 years, few private sector actors will commit. That’s why we need strong project agreements and protocols to anticipate future TOD. Governments should plan for overbuild where possible, include knockout panels, and write TOD connections directly into infrastructure contracts. Learn from projects like Eglinton Crosstown—where the hard work to make TOD connections has been started.

What’s a solution to bridge that timing and risk gap?

One idea is to include TOD in the bid for major infrastructure projects—using a two-envelope system where the province evaluates the transit bid and the TOD proposal together. Let the builder of the station also be the builder of the overbuild. That aligns incentives and eliminates many coordination headaches. It’s not without risk, but it’s worth exploring.

Looking ahead, how do you see TOD evolving over the next five to ten years?

In the next five years, I don’t expect the market to bounce back immediately. So governments need to get smarter. That means taking a more active role in vending publicly owned land into TOD projects and coordinating the capital stack—especially as the federal government signals more interest in partnering with private developers on housing.

This could be our chance to deliver more missing middle housing, family-sized rentals, even rent-to-own models—all near transit. The land is already public in many of these locations. But if governments don’t step in to help the math work, the private sector won’t move.

In the longer term, we’ll start to see those investments pay off. But success depends on anticipating what each stakeholder needs and laying the groundwork now.

If you want to be involved in TOD, refine your partnership skills. It’s complex. It’s challenging. But it’s worth it.