‘You can’t mess with our greenbelt’: Halton tells Doug Ford government to scrap GTA West highway plans

Theifp.ca
Nov. 29, 2019
Melanie Hennessey

Halton regional council is urging the Ford government to put the brakes on its proposal to build the GTA West highway across the municipality.

In a fairly close 11-7 vote, the local politicians passed a motion that says regional council opposes further investment by the province in the potential four to six-lane highway with an adjacent transitway that would wind its way through southern Halton Hills and along the border with Milton.

“The focus of provincial spending should shift priorities away from subsidizing and incentivizing individual travel to investing in less carbon intense modes of transportation such as transit and high-speed rail,” asserts the resolution put forth by Halton Hills Mayor Rick Bonnette. “Once a new highway is built, it induces more driving and rapidly fills to capacity.”

Bonnette pointed out that all four local municipalities, along with the region, have recently passed motions declaring climate emergencies, “yet the province comes up and says we need to create this new highway.”

Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward, who seconded the motion, said the road would pave over green space and farmland, and that there are other ways to solve the GTA’s transportation problems.

“If this goes through, the next step will be Burlington,” she said, explaining that a discussion was had in the past about extending the proposed highway through north Burlington. “They’re coming for our green space, and we can’t let them.”

But regional chair Gary Carr begged to differ, contending that not building the new highway is going to increase gridlock on the 401, and in turn, increase greenhouse gases as well.

“You just voted to put 20,000 people on green space 10 minutes ago,” he said, referencing council’s approval of a development financing plan and servicing for up to 19,329 new homes across Halton. “If you’re going to put the people in, you need the road.”

But Meed Ward contended those homes were already given the green light when a previous regional council endorsed Halton’s official plan.

“The growth has already been approved --we needed to fund it. This (highway) has not been approved,” she said. “We need to send a very strong message that you can’t mess with our greenbelt.”

Halton Hills Coun. Clark Somerville asserted the highway is being built to primarily alleviate traffic in Peel Region.

“Mr. chair, I think you’re completely wrong if you think this highway will in any way, shape or form benefit Halton,” he said.

In a “commuter society” where highways are also being used to transport an increasing amount of goods in trucks, Milton Coun. Mike Cluett said he thinks “we’re going to need the highway, whether people like it or not.”

Fellow Milton Coun. Zeeshan Hamid shared similar sentiments, pointing to the traffic backups that are commonly seen on all major routes through Milton.

“A new alternate route is absolutely needed,” he said.

In a recorded vote, Bonnette, Meed Ward, Somerville, Milton Mayor Gord Krantz, Oakville Mayor Rob Burton and councillors Tom Adams, Colin Best, Jane Fogal, Lisa Kearns, Rory Nisan and Paul Sharman were in favour of the motion. Carr, Cluett, Hamid and councillors Allan Elgar, Rick Malboeuf, Kelvin Galbraith and Dave Gittings were opposed.

The motion will now be sent to Premier Doug Ford, the minister of transportation, leaders of all provincial parties and Halton’s MPPs.