Email this pageLetter of Congratulations to the Ministry of Transportation for the range of options considered in the Environmental Assessments for the Niagara-GTA and GTA West Transportation Corridors: December 2010

December 2, 2010

The Honourable Kathleen Wynne
Minister of Transportation
77 Wellesley Street West
Ferguson Block, 3rd Floor
Toronto, ON M7A 1Z8

Dear Minister:

SUBJECT: Congratulations on the Range of Options Considered in the Environmental Assessments for the Niagara-GTA and GTA West Transportation Corridors

The Greenbelt Council has had several opportunities over the past two years to discuss the Environmental Assessment (EA) processes for both the GTA-West and Niagara-GTA Transportation corridors. Staff in the Transportation Planning Branch of the Ministry of Transportation have actively sought our advice, presented their progress in detail, been candid in their appraisal of options, and listened carefully to our concerns.

The Greenbelt Council would like formally to congratulate the Ministry of Transportation on the range of options to which it has given serious consideration during the two EA processes. These efforts place Ontario in the vanguard of metropolitan transportation planning in North America, and they augur well for the preservation of the Greenbelt in future decades.

We strongly support the Ministry’s reluctance to consider new crossings of the Niagara Escarpment. We also applaud the priority being given to traffic demand management, to the expansion of commuter transit and cargo rail, and to impact mitigation measures. These options will minimize the environmental impacts of future growth and help the Greenbelt Plan and the Places to Grow Plan to discourage urban sprawl.

Sincerely,


Dr. Robert Elgie
Chair, Greenbelt Council

Cc.    Honourable Rick Bartolucci, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing
        Don Scott, Chair, Niagara Escarpment Commission