Auditor General’s findings underscore Bradford Bypass concerns
Barrie, ON – In her Dec. 1 annual report Ontario Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk found that “decisions about important public infrastructure and services, such as highways…appeared to be disconnected from, or inconsistent with, other land-use planning processes and policies.”
Bradford Bypass
The AG points to “the Environment Ministry, which on Oct. 1, filed exemptions that would affect public consultation opportunities for the Bradford Bypass highway connecting Highways 400 to 404 routed through the Holland Marsh, a provincially significant wetland. The environmental exemptions would limit the studies required to be completed and would permit “early works”—that is, construction of bridges and other works—before completion of all the studies.”
Concerns Well Founded Says SCGC
According to The Simcoe County Greenbelt Coalition (SCGC) and the Rescue Lake Simcoe Coalition, Lysyk’s “overarching concerns about the Bradford Bypass are well founded. Despite calls from several municipalities to ensure that impacts to Lake Simcoe are understood prior to any construction on the Bypass, the province is moving ahead quickly toward construction .”
Some Key Findings – The Auditor General’s key findings are extremely relevant to issues surrounding the Bypass including:
“The Growth Plan overestimates of the population growth in outer Greater Golden Horseshoe suburbs are having adverse financial consequences for those municipalities. We keep hearing the number of people that are coming to the area, but these are just estimates and according to the Auditor General are likely higher than what will be realized.
Taxpayer Pockets: This Forces Municipalities to Overbuild
“This forces municipalities to overbuild, over-designate land for development, overbuild infrastructure which in the end comes out of taxpayer pockets. If the population does not materialize taxpayers are still on the hook.”
Will this investment provide a net benefit?
The SCGC asks: “Before we build a highway that won’t solve local traffic issues, we should consider whether the massive taxpayer investment will provide a net benefit to our communities. After all, if highway access resolved traffic congestion, then why would most of the GTA be in almost constant gridlock?
York Simcoe MPP Caroline Mulroney
“The AG says “conservation authorities are losing the independent power to exercise their mandate to ensure that development is directed away from flood and erosion-prone areas. As well “permit applications that harm species at risk or their habitats are always approved.”
Long Term 2030
Policies to achieve the majority of emissions reductions required to meet the 2030 targets have not been identified. Cars and trucks are one of the greatest contributors of emissions.
Lake Simcoe like an ocean in 35 years?
According to the SCGC Lake Simcoe could have a salt concentration similar to oceans in 35 years. This was calculated prior to the additional salt that will be washed down from the Bypass directly into the rivers and streams that flow into Lake Simcoe. Building the Bypass decreases our chance of avoiding that fate for Lake Simcoe.
“With the Auditor General’s report, it is clear we cannot have confidence that Lake Simcoe will be taken care of. Those of us in the region who understand all of this are very concerned. The Bypass is just the latest egregious example of provincial projects in our area that will make Lake Simcoe more sick. None of us will be the better for it.”
Margaret Prophet, Executive Director, Simcoe County Greenbelt Coalition 705-718-1383
Claire Malcolmson, Executive Director, Rescue Lake Simcoe Coalition 647-267-7572
Report References:
Auditor General’s Summary report
The Operation of the Environmental Bill of Rights:
Protecting and recovering species at risk