Border road decisions go against city.
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Parkway, Manning decisions go against city
By Dave Battagello, The Windsor StarMay 11, 2009 8:25 AM
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Ontario's Environment Minister John Gerretson, pictured here with Essex MPP Bruce Crozier in the background, has made two rulings regarding border roads that go against the City of Windsor.
Photograph by: File photo, The Windsor Star
Mayor Eddie Francis and city council have been shut down by the Ministry of Environment officials on two fronts in their border road battles against the provincial government.
A council request for mediation on the controversial Windsor-Essex Parkway — a $1.6-billion border feeder highway touted by the provincial government — has been denied in a letter to Francis by Ontario’s Environment Minister John Gerretson.
“I have determined that issues raised [[by the city) are not amenable to the mediation process and are not suitable for successful mediation,” said Gerretson in his April 23 letter obtained by The Star.
Francis and council keep fighting the government for more green space and tunnelling features from the council’s GreenLink border solution to be included into the parkway’s final design.
But an environmental assessment by a bureaucratic government study team, known as Detroit River International Crossing, ruled out including more options from the city’s plan in December. That decision was upheld by the environment ministry in a review completed a couple of weeks ago.
“I understand that numerous attempts have been made to resolve outstanding issues through meetings with the City of Windsor and MTO during the EA process without success,” Gerretson said.
Meanwhile, Francis and council have also been denied by Gerretson in a bid to block or alter a planned widening and upgrade of Manning Road between Highway 401 and E.C. Row Expressway to four lanes from two.
Council made a special request for separate environmental assessment to be conducted on the possible fallout from the project on an adjoining stretch of E.C. Row. The city has feared a greater number of trucks will use an upgraded Manning off 401 as a shortcut to the border via E.C. Row. Council wanted those impacts on the city and E.C Row studied under an individual EA.
The minister felt a bumped-up EA process was not warranted, spokesman Mark Rabbior said. The Ministry of Transportation and Essex County as the proponents of the project can start construction, subject to any other permits required, he said.
“This project is part of larger undertaking by MTO and others to improve the flow of traffic across the border in timely fashion. You end up with a better environment by getting traffic moving more quickly.”
Tecumseh Mayor Gary McNamara said he’s glad the Manning Road project can now go ahead and is optimistic that it will proceed without any other delays or EA requests.
“It’s extremely important for the future growth of our region,” he said. “We’re in probably the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression and we have a willing federal and provincial government that will put down dollars to improve our infrastructure and here we are wanting to stop them? It makes absolutely no sense.”
“The arguments about trucks on E.C. Row ... I’ve heard them all,” McNamara said. “To me that’s poppycock, all of that.”
He said the reality is that E.C. Row is an “extremely important and strategic” corridor for Windsor, Tecumseh and Lakeshore and some diversion of truck traffic is inevitable.
“It’s an expressway, not a cul-de-sac. It’s an expressway to get commerce across our region,” he said.
“We need to move forward. We’ve got to get these projects started. We’re so strategically placed, now it’s time to get our infrastructure up to the 21st century.”
McNamara said Windsor has had a chance to make its arguments and “gave it a good fight,” but now it’s time to move on.
“We’re 100 per cent behind what the province is doing. Let’s get on with it.”
Francis said council’s request for mediation on the parkway was to “show the willingness” to reach a compromise.
The battle to win more changes to the parkway plan will continue despite Gerretson’s decision, the mayor said.
“The process is still ongoing,” Francis said.
“Just because they rejected mediation doesn’t mean we are going to give up.
“We will try to reach out to the provincial government and DRIC team to see if we can arrive at a better solution. We have options available to us under the process.”
A public feedback period of the environment ministry’s recently released review of the EA is currently ongoing and will be completed May 29.
The next phase will include finalization of documents to be handed to Gerretson for his decision on the plan.
The minister will have several weeks to consider the parkway plan before it goes to cabinet for final approval expected sometime in September.
— with files from Sonja Puzic
© Copyright [[c) The Windsor Star
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Ontario's Environment Minister John Gerretson, pictured here with Essex MPP Bruce Crozier in the background, has made two rulings regarding border roads that go against the City of Windsor.
Photograph by: File photo, The Windsor Star
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