|
September
1995 Newsletter
Even
the Rule of Law is Sacrificed for the Expressway
The
attempt of the Regional Council to avoid an environmental
assessment of their expressway proposals is surely one of
the most disgraceful episodes yet played out in the Red
Hill saga. Here we have the government itself, openly declaring
that it will do whatever is necessary to avoid obeying the
law. The Regional Chairman and other councillors publicly
stated in Council chambers on June 20 that if the provincial
government requires an environmental assessment of their
new five-lane expressway scheme, then they will withdraw
this proposal and return to the old six-lane one which they
say is already approved. In the meeting, it was admitted
that the wildly inflated traffic predictions of the regional
transportation department used in the early 1980s to justify
a six-lane expressway have failed to materialize. The Transportation
Commissioner stated that the traffic projections for the
roadway are "down over 30%". He also admitted
that the old six-lane project would cost at least $30 million
more than the five-lane proposal.
However,
in the next breath the Chairman and other councillors swore
that they would switch back to the six-lanes in order to
avoid an assessment process. In other words: we will "submit"
to the law only if it isn't applied to us. If it is, we
will throw away 30 million taxpayers dollars to get around
the law.
These
are the words and threats of people who know their proposal
cannot pass an environmental assessment. It is doubly shameful
that out of the other side of their mouth they boast about
Hamilton-Wentworth winning an environmental excellence award
and being named a Model Community by the United Nations.
Their
arrogance is buttressed by the failure of the local media
to even report on their activities, much less call them
to account.
More
than a year ago, the head of the Environmental Assessment
Branch pointed out that the portion of the road north of
Brampton Street had never been approved. His letter was
circulated to every member of regional council on October
26, 1994, but this simple fact has still not been reported
to the people of Hamilton-Wentworth. Instead the lie continues
to prevail that "all the approvals are in place for
the expressway" and only provincial funding stands
in its way.
Similarly,
the admission in Council on June 20 that the traffic projections
for the expressway were gross exaggerations has not been
reported, and no comment has been made on the willingness
to squander $30 million in public money to avoid the assessment
law.
In
mid-September, the council actually carried out its threat.
On September 19, they abandoned their "compromise"
expressway (the "compromise so beloved by the editorial
writers of the Hamilton Spectator), and informed
the provincial government that they were shifting to the
alignment of the old six-lane road. With this step, they
also tore off the fig leaf of environmental concern which
had supposedly convinced them to adopt the "compromise"
in the first place. It is noteworthy that this major shift
in position has also not been reported by the local "newspaper".
|
