Cutting red tape on major transit projects 'long overdue:' Markham mayor

Yonge-North subway extension among projects sparking provincial plan to streamline environmental assessments, expropriations

Yorkregion.com
Feb. 13, 2020
Heidi Riedner

The province's plan to streamline the regulatory process, to get key transit projects and infrastructure built, got the stamp of approval from Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti, who said the move is necessary to tackle traffic congestion in the region.

Transportation Minister Caroline Mulroney announced the Ford government’s proposal to speed up environmental assessments and land expropriations for major transit projects during her Feb. 6 address to the Economic Club of Canada at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel.

If passed, the new legislation and regulatory changes expected to be tabled at Queen’s Park in two weeks would “enable us to build transit faster by getting shovels in the ground sooner,” Mulroney said.

Applicable only to the province’s four priority transit projects in the GTA -- the Ontario Line, Yonge North subway extension, Scarborough extension and Eglinton West LRT -- Mulroney said the intent is to improve the efficiency of approvals, rather than a blanket relaxation of current environmental protections.

The proposed changes to the Environmental Assessment process are “long overdue,” said Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti in a statement.

While Markham often has the necessary tools and expertise to get the job done, the process is often held back by prolonged legislative restrictions, Scarpitti said.

For example, the Birchmount bridge over the Rouge River was a relatively simple and straightforward project, but took more than two years to complete because of delayed approvals, he said.

“I strongly believe in cutting government red tape, while not sacrificing quality and environmental standards.”

The province is helping its municipal partners deliver the critical infrastructure needed to move residents and goods across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, York Region chair Wayne Emmerson said.

The region and its Rapid Transit Corporation have been working to advance the Yonge North Subway, which is council’s No. 1 transit priority, Emmerson added.

“We are optimistic the proposed legislative and regulatory changes will help move this project forward and provide commuters in York Region and our neighbouring communities with a variety of transit options.”

Scarpitti said he will continue to push for federal funding toward the subway extension, calling it a "critical" piece of infrastructure to keep people moving in and around the GTA.

Ontario NDP transit critic Jessica Bell criticized the province's plan to speed up assessments, saying she has a "hard time seeing how making an environmental assessment less rigorous will lead to a higher quality transit project."

"In order to build right, you have to plan well," she said.