A Toronto business has called out Metrolinx by posting an impassioned closure notice on their front window.

Businesses in Pape Village are the latest to feel the strain of work on the upcoming Ontario Line, being forced to shutter as preparations for construction on what will one day be the line's Cosburn station ramp up.

One expropriated business, Pape Avenue's Cleopatra Five Star Hair Design, is pulling no punches when it comes to letting Metrolinx know how they feel about the matter.

A note posted in the hair studio's window announce the shop's impending closure and decry the expropriation of their — and others' in the area — business.

The note claims Metrolinx "screwed all small businesses" in the area. Photo by Lori Clyke.

"Metrolinx screwed all small businesses in Pape Village," the note reads, adding that "they didn't pay enough money to start a new business, leaving us no income for our new businesses."

"I love my store," it continues.

The second of two notes in the shop's window. Photo by Lori Clyke.

The shop goes on to announce that they'll be officially closing on August 31 and moving to a new location, concluding with an facetious "thank you Metrolinx," for "screwing my life."

This is far from the first time a local business has been outspoken about the ways that subway line construction — which, admittedly, will likely benefit local businesses in the distant future — is hurting them today.

In 2023, Scarborough physiotherapy clinic Pro Life Wellness Centre spoke to blogTO about their own business being displaced for the Scarborough Subway Extension project.

At the time, clinic owner Charlene Owens shared details about the difficult and costly process of relocating the business, adding that they had received minimal financial support from Metrolinx throughout it all. providing a window into the similar experience that businesses displaced by Ontario Line construction may be currently facing.

The Ontario Line will add 15 new subway stations to the city, running from Exhibition Place northeast to (what used to be) the Science Centre.

In April of this year, progress began on the construction of the future Gerrard Station, prompting the closure and vacation of an entire shopping plaza at Carlaw and Gerrard to make way for the station and proposed Transit Oriented Community.

Construction on the Ontario Line is currently slated to be complete by 2031.