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November
21, 2003
TREE CUTTING CONTRACTS FOR MAIN VALLEY
Some residents along the valley have received letters from
the City stating that tree cutting in the main part of the
valley “is tentatively scheduled to start the week
of November 24, 2003 and will take approximately three months
to complete”. Friends of Red Hill Valley has
issued the following media release.
Hamilton
government issues more contracts without permits
Lawless Municipal Activity Continues
“There's
no possible way that a rational businessman could have
entered into binding agreements that are going to cost
him significant money when there are (outstanding) approvals.”
— David Miller
The
City of Hamilton closed tenders on November 4 and 6 for
“advance clearing” of trees and other vegetation
in Red Hill Valley between Mud Street and Queenston Road.
The commitment to two contracts totalling over $972,000
was made despite the fact that the City has not yet received
the required Fisheries Act authorization for work near Red
Hill Creek. The tree removal is for the proposed Red Hill
Creek Expressway which crosses Red Hill Creek 14 times.
Saddling
Hamilton taxpayers with binding contracts prior to the receipt
of necessary approvals continues a pattern begun last June.
At that time, a $5 million contract was signed with Dagmar
Construction for grade separation at the CN Rail crossing
of Red Hill Creek to allow the proposed Red Hill Creek Expressway
to pass under the railway. That project cannot be completed
without approvals to open up and excavate 70,000 tonnes
from the adjacent Rennie Street Landfill, a toxic site that
earned the City a $450,000 fine in 2000.
The
City followed with a July commitment to a $3.3 million contract
with Dufferin Construction to begin work on an interchange
near Greenhill Avenue. That tender closed on June 19. However,
court documents submitted by the City of Hamilton showed
that none of the three necessary permit approvals were completed
prior to July 27. One permit from the Niagara Escarpment
Commission was not finalized until October 16.
The
practice of signing binding contracts prior to securement
of regulatory approvals is contemptuous of the regulatory
legislation. It also obviously places Hamilton taxpayers
in the exposed position of being liable for payment of contracts
that the City may not be legally able to complete. Unfortunately,
this seems to be the way things are done in Hamilton.
All
of the above tenders were issued by the Expressway Implementation
Committee chaired by councillor Larry DiIanni, who was elected
mayor of Hamilton on November 10.
For
more information, please contact
Friends
of Red Hill Valley
Don McLean, Chair (905) 664-8796
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