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March
29, 1999
RED HILL EXPRESSWAY GOING TO NEW ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT
HEARINGS
The
regional government of Hamilton-Wentworth is poised to request
a full federal environmental assessment of the Red Hill
Valley Expressway which could finally bring an end to the
controversial project originally proposed in the early 1950s.
This morning, the region's Transportation Services Committee
approved a resolution proposed by regional chairman Terry
Cooke that asks the federal government to start a panel
hearing. The resolution also makes the absurd demand that
the new assessment be completed within six months. It will
be voted on at regional council on Tuesday, April 6.
A
lower level ("screening") assessment of the 46-year-old
plan to pave the Red Hill Valley was initiated by the federal
government in June of last year. However, it has been blocked
by the failure of the regional government to supply information
about the project to the federal authorities. For example,
no details have been provided of the region's plans to relocate
and reconstruct 5 kilometres of the stream bed of Red Hill
Creek. A range of other documents have only been presented
in draft form. If the screening concludes that the expressway
will result in significant adverse environmental effects,
then federal officials are obliged to require a full panel
hearing on the project. This morning's resolution appears
to recognize the inevitability of this occurring. However,
most of the lengthy committee debate focused on who to blame
for the impending death of the expressway project.
The
six month deadline included in Mr. Cooke's resolution has
little meaning. It is unlikely that the Region will even
be able to complete and hand its studies in that space of
time, even though federal officials asked for them last
October. In addition, the panel review process requires
that the Region provide justification of the need for the
expressway and that it evaluate alternatives to the project
including alternative locations. The Region has not examined
these matters since the late 1970s. Preparation of these
required aspects of the assessment will undoubtedly take
many months, if not years. The federal process can only
effectively begin when all of this material has been completed.
This is because the members of the panel for a federal assessment
are chosen on the basis of an identification of the most
significant issues in the project. Once the panel has been
selected, it will set its own terms of reference. It may
require further studies by the Region to fill knowledge
gaps and/or it may order independent studies to be undertaken.
The process will include public hearings after which the
panel will write a full report and make recommendations
to the federal government. The final decision on the project
will be made by the federal cabinet. Anyone who suggests
this entire process can be completed in six months is out
of touch with reality.
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