Let's take this one bit at a time, shall we?
I don't see how a canopy over a streetcar tunnel entrance is necessary and I also fail to see why you want to bring in a picture of a station from another countries subway system as a comparison.
An example of why a canopy would be necessary - decreasing snow/water/road salt ingress into the tunnels, improving the traction of vehicles going up/down the slope and improving the reliability of the rails/tunnel/signalling/structures. There's a reason escalators and lifts tend not to be left exposed outside!
Secondly, it looks nice - the Waterfront is a major tourist attraction, and a canopy would be a nice(r) thing to look at, rather than the current utilitarian and ugly concrete structure.
They conducted surveys of car usage on Queens Quay in a way that I think seems very shady by cross referencing licence plates to where people live and then assuming that they were using it to avoid the Gardner. They also poorly missed that mark when it came to not having any sort of barriers between the sidewalk, bike path and Streetcars.
That's how you do surveys - you work out where people are going to and from. Queens Quay shouldn't be a major east-west route for cars, that's what Lake Shore Blvd/Gardiner are for. The street has turned out as designed -
with large increases in cycling, walking and a reduction in car traffic.
Take a read of this on Complete Streets - "streets that are designed to be safe for all users: people who walk, bicycle, take transit or drive, and people of varying ages and levels of ability. They also consider other uses like sidewalk cafés, street furniture, street trees, utilities, and stormwater management."
With regard to "barriers" - Queens Quay isn't a highway, its shared between a wide variety of uses.
Research in the UK showed that pedestrian railings/barriers actually decreased safety for pedestrians as drivers sped more, and there were more accidents!
Also, don't fort they were siuposded to be building some bridges over the harbour which we haven't seen or heard anything about since they proposed them.
Bridges are still coming, and they've been talked about a fair bit in this thread over the years. Recommend reading the Waterfront TO site for more information.
Waterfront Toronto and the city of Toronto should also put up proper railroad crossing signs at all of the roads that cross streetcar tracks that have the right of way only on one side because they have effectively created a railroad in as private right of way.
No, because streetcar tracks aren't a railroad. Next!
Also just to clarify I am not against having nice things but if it's not really something that is necessary for the operation of the line them I don't see a need to build it.
Street trees aren't essential, but we install them on our streets because it improves the street, helps the environment and makes it a nicer place to be.
Nice granite pavers with maple leaf motifs along Queens Quay isn't essential - you could have regular concrete pavement - but it improves the streets and makes it a nicer place to be.
Public art in our public realm or subway stations isn't essential - but it makes the City a more attractive and visually interesting place to live, work and play.
Lets encourage high quality urban design, rather than settling for the bare minimum.
