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May
2002 Newsletter
McMaster
Letter
A
letter signed by 104 McMaster faculty was released in early
May. It asked for an independent assessment of the environmental,
social and financial costs of the expressway. The letter
is a careful piece of scholarship heavily referenced using
documents published by the City and other governments. It
was sent to all three levels of government calling on each
to ensure that the expressway project is properly examined
before final decisions are made.
The
Spectator published part of the letter, but cut out
parts and refused to include the references. The full letter
with references can be found below.
06
May 2002
The
Honourable David Anderson
Minister of the Environment
10 Rue Wellington Street, 28th Floor
Hull, Quebec K1A 0H3
Dear
Minister Anderson:
In April
of 1999, over 100 McMaster faculty wrote to the federal
Minister of the Environment asking for a full Panel Review
of the proposed Red Hill Creek Expressway. The concerns
about this project have not diminished. We believe it would
be a tragic mistake if the expressway escapes such an independent
review as a result of recent court decisions focused on
the technicalities of the law. This should not be allowed
to happen. There must be a credible independent review of
the proposed expressway.
The ideal
form would be completion of the already started Panel Review
under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act. If this
is not possible, City Council must provide an equally open
review process before any decision is made to construct
this roadway. To be credible, this alternative process must
be clearly independent of the municipal government. No one
will accept as credible a process controlled by a City that
has just spent millions of dollars to prevent an independent
review. Unfortunately, the credibility of the provincial
government has also been damaged by its decision to join
the City in trying to block the federal environmental assessment.
However,
this does not mean that an independent process is impossible.
On the contrary, it is essential. And because the City still
faces regulatory hurdles including the fisheries permit
from the federal government as well as the provincial exemption
order assessment process, we believe that all three levels
of government should act on this matter in a spirit of cooperation
to ensure that the public good is upheld.
We therefore call on Hamilton City Council, the Ontario
Minister of the Environment and the federal Environment
Minister to establish such a process and to ensure that
it is truly independent. We believe this process should
address all the concerns outlined in the 1999 letter from
McMaster faculty reproduced below, as well as significant
concerns that have arisen since 1999. These include the
effects of excavating the toxic Rennie Street landfill that
lies in the path of the proposed expressway, the recent
evidence linking childhood asthma to smog (McConnell et
al. 2002), and the discovery of a large colony of southern
flying squirrels in the valley.
This is not a "last minute appeal". We raised
our concerns over two and a half years ago in the appropriate
way. They remain valid and unanswered. We believe they still
must be addressed. Some of the over 100 undersigned are
prepared to provide their expertise to assist the City and
the other two levels of government in coming to appropriate
conclusions about this project.
The1999 Open Letter from McMaster University Faculty:
The following is an open letter to the federal Minister
of Fisheries and Oceans and the federal Minister of the
Environment from a group of over 110 McMaster University
faculty members, and other university personnel.
The current plans by the Regional Municipality of Hamilton-Wentworth
include construction of an expressway through the Red Hill
Valley. Beyond the expense to regional taxpayers, this would
be costly in terms of habitat loss, air quality, water quality,
quality of life for residents neighbouring the valley, economic
decline of the downtown core, and suburban sprawl.
The undersigned members of the faculty of McMaster University
have serious concerns about the plans to construct an expressway
corridor in the Red Hill Valley. We believe that this project
should be thoroughly re-examined before any more public
dollars are spent on it. The benefits of the expressway
are uncertain, and they must be weighed against the known
and potential costs in order to determine if the project
is in the public interest. The claimed need for the expressway
should be re-examined in light of our current knowledge,
and other alternatives should be considered including alternative
locations, different transportation options, as well as
the option of using scarce resources for more important
and worthwhile endeavours.
The following list of concerns suggests that there is compelling
evidence that the environmental, social and financial costs
of the valley expressway are unacceptable.
As planned, this highway will cost over $200 million, plus
maintenance costs. Much of the construction cost and all
of the maintenance costs will be imposed on local property
taxpayers at a time when Hamilton-Wentworth taxation levels
already substantially exceed those of neighbouring communities
(Clayton Research 1999), and essential expenditures on the
rehabilitation of an ageing sewer and water system have
been unwisely postponed (Regional Municipality of Hamilton-Wentworth
1998, 1999).
The valley expressway will create a nine-kilometre shortcut
between the 403 and the QEW and will divert a significant
portion of provincial through traffic onto a regional roadway
running through residential neighbourhoods. Thousands of
heavy trucks, including American vehicles using the shortcut
between Detroit and Buffalo (401-403-QEW), which make no
contribution to local taxes, will nevertheless impose additional
maintenance, noise and pollution costs on regional property
taxpayers.
The population of lower Hamilton has dropped by nearly 50,000
in the past 25 years (Census of Canada, 1971, 1996) with
dramatic consequences for the downtown business, public
transit and property values. The expressway appears likely
to accelerate these trends and generate a further cycle
of suburban sprawl and its associated costs.
Pollution from the expressway will have a negative impact
on the already compromised air quality of valley neighbourhoods
and appears certain to result in significant effects on
human health (Pengelly 1998, McCarry 1998, Muir 1998).
Increased vehicle traffic will cause significant noise pollution,
increasing levels by as much as 20 decibels (RWDI 1998).
This is equivalent to noise energy levels being increased
more than 100-fold over ambient.
The Red Hill Valley passes through some of the most vulnerable
neighbourhoods in Canada with "low-income" households
making up almost 50% in at least one adjacent census tract
(Census of Canada 1996). The expressway will reduce the
air quality, increase the noise pollution, and pave over
much of the playground of the children of these neighbourhoods,
largely eliminating their already limited exposure to the
natural world.
Red Hill Valley is one of the largest urban parks in Canada,
and is east Hamilton's only significant greenspace. The
expressway and its four valley interchanges will carve this
area into over 25 pieces, compromising the existence of
and potential for a diverse and rich watershed (Dougan and
Associates 1998). The valley connects the escarpment to
the lakeshore, currently providing an important wildlife
corridor, especially for migrating birds (Regional Municipality
of Hamilton-Wentworth 1994, MacDonald 1996). Fragmentation
will severely damage this function and force the loss of
area-sensitive species that require a minimum area of forest
habitat exceeding the size of the remaining forest fragments.
Expressway construction will disturb the Red Hill aquatic
community, and the increased paved surface area of the valley
and traffic-related pollutants will have negative consequences
for both the creek and for the cleanup of Hamilton Harbour
(Bay Area Restoration Council 1995, McCarry 1997).
The removal of over 40,000 trees (Dougan 1998) and their
replacement with pavement and vehicles will sacrifice an
important urban climate moderator and considerable carbon
sink, and will result in further increases in Canadian emissions
of atmospheric greenhouse gases.
The Hamilton area has an unenviable legacy of environmental
degradation, which has negatively affected the health and
quality of life of its residents. This legacy, both real
and perceived, now also imposes a substantial handicap on
the economic prospects of the region, discouraging the information-based,
advanced technology, service industries and other expanding
business sectors from locating in this area. It seems certain
that the negative impacts of the expressway, in sharp contrast
to environmental improvements due to the Hamilton Harbour
Remedial Action Plan, would worsen this situation.
The fact that this project has generated debate and controversy
for nearly half a century suggests that it may be seriously
flawed (Peace 1998). The Hamilton area cannot afford another
costly mistake. We should not throw good money after bad.
Everyone should welcome the full, thorough and independent
public review of the project promised by the federal government's
environmental assessment process.
Literature Cited
Bay Area Restoration Council. 1995. Supporting Document
regarding the request for an Environmental Assessment of
the proposed Red Hill Creek Expressway. 11 pp.
Census of Canada 1971. Hamilton Census Metropolitan Area
.
Census of Canada 1996. Hamilton Census Metropolitan Area.
Clayton Research Associates Limited. 1999. The Hamilton-Wentworth
Economy: Profile and Prospects. Prepared for the Regional
Municipality of Hamilton-Wentworth. 69 pp.
Dougan & Associates. 1998. Red Hill Creek Expressway
Impact Assessment. Terrestrial Resources Technical Report.
Prepared for the Regional Municipality of Hamilton-Wentworth.
21 pp + app.
Hamilton Region Conservation Authority. 1996. Biological
Inventory of the Red Hill Valley. 235 pp.
Macdonald, Colin. 1996. "Assessment of the Avifauna
of the Red Hill Valley" in HRCA, Biological Inventory
of the Red Hill Valley, pp. 121-188.
McCarry, Brian E. 1996. Red Hill Creek as a Source of Genotoxins
to Hamilton Harbour. Presentation to the Hamilton Region
Conservation Authority Water Quality Technical Workshop,
February 27, 1996.
McCarry, Brian E. 1998. Comments and Observations on the
Consulting Reports on the Red Hill Creek Expressway. Submission
to the Regional Municipality of Hamilton-Wentworth, 2 pp.
McConnell et al. 2002 (see bottom of literature cited)
Muir, T. 1998. Comments on the RWDI Draft Air Quality Assessment
for the North South Red Hill Creek Expressway. Submis-sion
to the Regional Municipality of Hamilton-Wentworth, 10 pp.
Peace, Walter (editor). 1998. From Mountain to Lake: The
Red Hill Creek Valley. W.L. Griffin Printing Ltd., Hamilton.
256 pp.
Pengelly, L.D. 1998. Review of the Draft Summary Report
of the Impact Assessment and Design Process of the Red Hill
Creek Expressway North-South Section. Submission to the
Regional Municipality of Hamilton-Wentworth, 2 pp.
Regional Municipality of Hamilton-Wentworth 1994. Towards
a Regional Greenlands System. 36 pp + app.
Regional Municipality of Hamilton-Wentworth 1998. 1998-2007
Capital Budget Business Plan. 56 pp.
Regional Municipality of Hamilton-Wentworth 1999. Advisory
Committee on Competitive Municipal Taxation Policy. Overheads
from a presentation on March 25, 1999. 31 pp + app.
RWDI. Traffic noise impact assessment North-South section
Red-Hill Creek Expressway, for the Region of Hamilton-Wentworth,
June 1998.
Recent Reference
McConnell, R., K. Berhane, F. Gilliland, S. London, T. Islam,
W.J.
Gauderman, E. Avol, H. Margolis, J. Peters. Asthma in exercising
children
exposed to ozone: a cohort study. Lancet 2002; 359:386-91.
McMaster University Signatories 2002
(104 faculty, and 4 other concerned folks)
| Dr.
Bob Korol, Civil Engineering |
Dr.
Jim Quinn, Biology |
Dr.
Alvin Lee, English |
Dr.
Patricia Chow-Fraser, Department of Biology
Dr. Graham Petrie, English/SOTA
Dr. Margo Wilson, Psychology Department
Susie O'Brien, Department of English
Dr. Geoffrey Rockwell, School of the Arts
Ph.D. Neil McLaughlin, Sociology
Dr. Jean Wilson, Dept. of Modern Languages & Linguistics
Dr. David Andrews, Biochemistry
Dr. Cameron M. Crowe, Department of Chemical Engineering.
Dr. Bob Hudspith, Engineering and Society
Dr. Mike O'Donald, Biology
Dr. Denis M. Shaw, School of Geography and Geology
Dr. Bradley N. White, Biology
Dr. Patricia Chang, Dept. Pediatrics
Dr. George Sorger, Biology
Dr. Denis Crankshaw, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology
Dr. Martin Daly, Psychology
Dr. Michael Jerrett, School of Geography and Geology
Dr. Naresh K. Sinha, Department of Electrical & Computer
Engineering
Dr. Jim Waddington, Professor Department of Physics and
Astronomy
Dr. M. Min-Oo, Mathematics and Statistics
Dr. David Hitchcock, Professor of Philosophy
Dr. Ian Hambleton, Mathematics and Statistics
Dr. L. David Pengelly, McMaster Inst. of Env't and Health
Dr. Jurek Kolasa, Department of Biology
Dr. Mark Sproule-Jones, Dept of Political Science,
Greg McElliott, Labour Studies
Dr. Daniel T. Cassidy, Engineering Physics
Dr. Gerald Chapple, Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics
Dr. Mary Silcox, English Department
Dr. Sue Baptiste, Assistant Dean (OT), School of Rehabilitation
Science
Dr. Ridha Khedri, Department of Computing and Software
Dr. Todd Randall, Department of Civil Engineering
Dr. Konstantin Kreyman, Department of Computing and Software
Dr. Elko Kleinschmidt, School of Business
Dr. Richard P Swinson, Dept Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences
Dr. N.H. Werstiuk Department of Chemistry |
Karen Bird, Department of Political Science
Dr. Emil Sekerinski, Department of Computing and Software
Dr. José Venturelli, Department of Pediatrics
Dr. Graham Roebuck, English Department
Dr. Paul Rapoport, School of the Arts
Dr. William M. Farmer, Computing and Software
Dr. H. M. Groves, Department of Pathology & Molecular
Medicine
Dr. Mark W.C. Hatton, Department of Pathology & Molecular
Medicine
Dr. John N. A. Lott, Department of Biology,
Dr. Miroslav Lovric, Dept of Mathematics and Statistics
Dr. Christopher Anand, Computing and Software
Dr. Travis Kroeker, Religious Studies
Dr. William Renwick School of Art, Drama, and Music
Dr. Sylvia Bowerbank, Arts & Science Programme &
Dept. of English.
Dr. James Deaville, School of the Arts
Dr. Ted Haines, Department of Clinical Epidemiology and
Biostatistics.
Dr. Chris M. Wood, Professor of Biology
Dr. Susan Dudley, Biology Department
Dr. J.P. Xu, Biology Department
Dr. Andy Muller, Economics Department
Dr. David Earn, Mathematics Department
Dr. Sigal Balshine, Department of Psychology
Dr. Walter Peace, School of Geography and Geology
Dr. Brian E. McCarry, Chemistry Department
Dr. C. D. Rollo, Biology Department
Dr. Christine Wilson, Physics and Astronomy
Dr. Graeme MacQueen, Dept. of Religious Studies
Dr. Ellen Badone, Department of Anthropology
Dr. Lonnie Magee, Economics
Dr. Judith M Shedden, Psychology
Dr. Cecile Fradin, Dept. of Physics and Astronomy.
Dr. Wayne Warry, Department of Anthropology
Dr. Margaret Black, School of Nursing
Dr. Cindy Riach Kinesiology Department
Dr. Stefania Szlek Miller, Department of Political Science
Dr. Ruth Frager, History Department
Dr. Nicholas Griffin Department of Philosophy
Dr. Jennifer Brasch, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural
Neurosciences
Dr. Graham Todd,School of the Arts.
Dr. Lovaye Kajiura, Biology Department
Dr. Brian G. Hutchison, Family Medicine, Clinical Epidemiology
and Biostatistics
Michael Stein, Department of Political Science
Daniel Geagan, Department of History
Dr. Gary Warner, Arts & Science Programme
Don Wells, Labour Studies Programme and Political Science
Dept.
Dr. Sara H. Mendelson, Arts & Science Programme
Dr. Harvey A. Feit, Anthropology Department
Dr. Alan Mendelson, Religious Studies
Dr. Donald Goellnicht, Department of English
Dr. Carl Cuneo, Sociology Department
Dr. Imre Szeman , Department of English
Dr. Irwin A. Feuerstein, Chemical Engineering, Pathology
and Molecular Medicine
Barbara W. Carroll, Political Science
Dr. Art Heidebrecht, Civil Engineering
Dr. Joanna Santa Barbara, Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences.
Dr. John Fox, Department of Sociology
Dr. W.K.Tso, Department of Civil Engineering
Dr. Cameron Churchill
Dr. Brian Baetz, Department of Civil Engineering.
Dr. Pavlos Kaneroglou, School of Geology and Geography
Dr. James Michael Waddington, School of Geography and Geology
Dr. Atif Kubursi, Department of Economics
Dr. Doug Boreham, Medical Physics and Applied Radiation
Sciences
Dr. Joe Adamson, English Department
Other
Signatories (Learned of the letter and were anxious to sign)
Marsha
Duncan, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Doreen Dixon, OKATT Research Team R.W. McManus, Mail Services
Caroline Bayard
Kenneth E. Sherman
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