By Mike Anderson
The Town of Georgina has petitioned the province to add a stop in Pefferlaw as part of a future expansion of the Northlander passenger rail service, which is slated to resume in 2026.
The Northlander’s proposed 740-kilometre route runs from Toronto’s Union Station to Timmins, with a rail extension to Cochrane.
The route has 16 stops, including Gormley and Washago, the nearest stops to Georgina, and features modern trains with accessible seating, food service, Wi-Fi and charging ports.
The Northlander service was discontinued in 2012 by the Ontario Liberal government, due to high costs and low ridership. However, Doug Ford, then PC leader, made reinstating the service a key election promise during the 2018 provincial election.
According to Ontario Northland, the route’s 16 stops were selected based on previous service, forecasted ridership demand, connections to existing transportation services, and the need to maintain reliable travel times.
However, four of the stops are in communities with fewer residents than Pefferlaw (3,000): Temagami (862), Englehart (1,442), South River (1,141), and Matheson (2,575).
The Pefferlaw stop would also provide communities south and east of Lake Simcoe with passenger train service to Toronto’s Union Station, and would address a large service gap in the proposed route – more than 100 kilometres – between the stops at Gormley and Washago.
However, the Town’s request is competing with a strong proposal from the Township of Brock, now spearheaded by its Mayor Mike Jubb, for a Northlander station in Beaverton, just 16 kilometres north of Pefferlaw.
That proposal includes a detailed feasibility study prepared by Durham Region’s Planning and Economic Development Department.
To date, neither the Town of Georgina nor York Region have commissioned such a study.
The Township of Brock passed a motion in April 2023 to petition the provincial government for a Beaverton station.
It’s unclear why Georgina Town Council waited until November 5, 2025, to pass a similar motion, tabled by Ward 5 Councillor Lee Dale, asking staff to request a stop, which was sent to the province, Ontario Northland, York Region Council, and MPP Caroline Mulroney on December 19, 2025.
However, Dale did offer a partial explanation.
“I was well aware that Mayor Jubb was doing their application, but I also was under the impression from the province that they weren’t considering other stops other than traditional stops that they were doing to get the service started,” Dale said.
“So, I thought it would be a waste of money and resources to apply when we knew that they weren’t going to consider any. Brock decided otherwise and spent a good deal of money. So our plan and my plan certainly was always to get this going to be considered for phase two.”
The Post asked Ontario Northland to comment on the Town’s request.
While Ontario Northland says it plans to add stations after the service launches, no timeline was provided, nor was Pefferlaw mentioned.
“Ontario Northland is committed to continuing dialogue with communities along the corridor,” said Ontario Northland spokesperson Nicholas Tibollo in a statement to the Post.
“Following the launch of service, the agency will continue to analyze ridership data to explore longer-term service planning opportunities that benefit passengers and contribute to the province’s integrated transportation network.”
In a letter to the Town, dated February 5, MPP Caroline Mulroney, a cabinet minister and former transport minister, also encouraged further dialogue with MTO and Ontario Northland, but indicated that any decision on Pefferlaw may be a long time coming.
“The government recognized the importance of the Northlander service in connecting communities, and I appreciate Georgina’s interest in a stop in Pefferlaw,” Mulroney said.
“Our primary focus is on bringing the Northlander into operation, and therefore consideration of additional stops along the service is only being considered as part of the longer-term operational plan.”
“While a stop in Pefferlaw is not part of the current plan to reinstate service, we are committed to continuing dialogue with the Town and encourage you to engage with MTO and ONTC to explore the longer-term service planning opportunities.”
While a provincial decision is not on the immediate horizon, Dale is guardedly optimistic that Pefferlaw will eventually get a stop.
“I believe it fills a gap, and it’s completely viable. It’s a perfect opportunity to cover the top of the GTA and York Region. And, as it’s close to our friends in Brock, it will give them access as well,” Dale said.
“People are looking for better transit options. It would be really well used and significantly cut travel times. It also opens up employment opportunities and provides a boost to tourism.”
Dale says there is strong community support for a stop in Pefferlaw and acknowledges that residents have long pushed for rail passenger service to resume in Pefferlaw, which lost its railway station in the late 1970s.
“Many people have kept the train conversation going in the past, sending letters and lobbying. I’m grateful for the community seeing the value in it,” he said.
Karen Wolfe, advocacy chair for the Pefferlaw Residents Association (PAR), says she’s been actively lobbying for a Northlander stop since 2021.
Wolfe has reached out to Premier Ford, MPP Mulroney, Vic Fedeli, the Minister of Economic Development, and Alan Spacek, the Chair of Ontario Northland Transportation Commission (ONTC), multiple times.
“When I heard the Northlander was coming back. I got on the phone. And I got on the computer and started writing letters, and I haven’t stopped. I did this before the Town decided this was an issue they wanted to jump on,” Wolfe said. “Pefferlaw really needs an economic shot in the arm. And I think this train stop could do that. We’ve lost a lot of businesses in town, including our bank.”
“We’ve got the infrastructure already. We have a railway siding, which means a passenger train could pull up and sit there while freight trains go by. We’ve got the parking because the property is still owned by the railway. They wouldn’t have to spend hardly any money. They might have to pave the parking lot and put up a little kiosk.”
“The province needs to put a stop in Pefferlaw because the last stop is Gormley. The next stop up the line is Washago. And, what I told them, in all my letters, is you’re completely and totally ignoring the east Lake Simcoe market.”
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