Gravel trucks could roll through Stouffville overnight during Pan Am Games despite ban
'Bummer' Uxbridge allowing deliveries, councillor says

YorkRegion.com
Feb. 24, 2015
Sandra Bolan

Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville council voted down a request that would have enabled deliveries to take place in the overnight hours during the Pan Am and Parapan Games.

However, Uxbridge Township granted the Ministry of Transportation’s request, which means some delivery trucks, including those carrying gravel, could still go along Bloomington Road, for example, during the overnight hours, as well as   weekends and holidays.

“I’m quite disappointed in Uxbridge,” said Councillor Maurice Smith, during the Feb. 17 meeting.

As long as a truck is in good operating condition, properly licenced and following the rules of the road, including obeying the speed limit, the town has no ability to stop truck traffic on highways, according to Andrew McNeely, Whitchurch-Stouffville’s CAO.

“It’s kind of, is a bit of a bummer to tell (residents) I’m sorry we’re saying no but Uxbridge said yes so you’ve got to deal with it all summer,” said Councillor Iain Lovatt.

“I won’t be supporting this because my residents’ sleep is a whole lot more important than what is going on down in the City of Toronto,” said Councillor Hugo Kroon.

The MTO’s letter “encouraged” all games host municipalities, including Whitchurch-Stouffville, to partner with them and support the off-peak deliveries pilot program to help reduce transportation demand at peak hours during the games.

Whitchurch-Stouffville is not a host venue for the Pan Am and Parapan Am Games, which runs July 10 to 26 and Aug. 7 to 15 respectively. However, some events will be held in Markham, Whitby, Ajax, Oshawa, Hamilton and Niagara, as well as in Toronto.

A handful of residents voiced their opposition to Whitchurch-Stouffville council, prior to its decision last week, including Jill McWhinnie who stated, in part, via email: “Sure, the games are a great event. But that doesn’t mean that there must be a mass suspension across the province of key provisions of local bylaws intended to protect residents from the deleterious impacts of noise related to unregulated freight movement and delivery.”

The Pan Am Games’ torch relay stops in Stouffville, at Memorial Park, June 26. That is Day 27 of the torch’s 41-day journey.

For more information, go to www.toronto2015.org