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December
1994 Newsletter
Old
Six-Lane Facing Another Environmental Assessment
The
Environmental Assessment office of the Ontario government
has concluded that no approval currently exists for
the section of the six-lane expressway running from Brampton
Street to the QEW.
This
information is contained in a letter to the Waterfront Regeneration
Trust from the Director of the EA office, Derek Doyle. A
copy was circulated to the media and all members of regional
council in October.
Refuting
the claims of the region, Mr. Doyle noted that the interchange
with the QEW was not approved as part of the Assessment
conducted on twinning the Skyway. He quotes from that EA:
"The construction of an interchange between the Queen Elizabeth
Way and a new North South Transportation Corridor in the
vicinity of Red Hill Creek, although physically possible,
has not been identified as part of this proposal."
Mr.
Doyle also notes that the 1985 Consolidated Board decision
that approved most of the expressway by a 2-1 margin states
clearly that the section north of Brampton is the responsibility
of the Ontario Ministry of Transportation. "The Ministry
of Transportation was not a proponent at the Hearing and
therefore no approval was provided. We can find no record
of any approval being granted to MTO for this project through
any other EA process."
Mr. Doyle goes on to note: "Since the [1985] hearing concluded,
it has come to light that impacts to a nearby closed landfill
site (Brampton Street) will necessitate the reconfiguration
of the interchange concept." He concludes with the suggestion
that a new "individual EA be produced".
This
information confirms what opponents of the expressway have
been saying all along. What is new is that the Environmental
Assessment branch now apparently agrees. As recently as
July, Dale Turvey, head of Transportation and Environmental
Services for the Region was claiming he had proof of an
approval.
Grounds
also exist to demand a federal Environmental Assessment.
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